THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


BEQUEST  OF 

Alice  R.  Hilgard 


GUYNEMER 

THE  ACE  OF  ACES 


BY 


JACQUES,  MORTANE 


TRANSLATED  BY 


CLIFTON  HARBY  LEVY 

TOGETHER  WITH  TRANSCRIPTS  FROM  GUYNEMER's  OWN 

NOTE-BOOK  OP  FLIGHT,  AND  PHOTOGRAPHIC 

FAC-SIMILES  OF  ITS  PAGES 


NEW  YORK 
MOFFAT,  YARD  &  COMPANY 

1918 


Copyright,  1918, 

BY 

MOFFAT.  YARD  &  CO. 


First  printing August,  1918 

Second  printing August,  1918 

Third  printing September,  1918 


GIFT 


M 


TO  THE 

AMERICAN  AVIATOR 

THIS  ENGLISH  VERSION  IS 

DEDICATED 

THAT  HE  MAT  BE  INSPIRED  BY  THE  INDOMITABLE 
SPIRIT  FOR  VICTORY  OF  THE 
YOUTHFUL  DAVID  OF  THE  AIR 

GEORGES  GUYNEMER 


Ml  !5G 


PREFACE 

In  the  pages  which  I  shall  consecrate  to 
the  glorious  hero  of  whom  France  is  so 
proud,  my  aim  will  be  to  make  him  known 
just  as  he  was  in  the  aerodromes.  It  is  the 
fighter,  the  master  of  technique  whom  we 
study  in  one.  I  shall  add  not  a  phrase  to 
what  the  Ace  of  Aces  was  willing  to  confide 
to  me  in  the  conversations  held  with  him. 
He  agreed  to  tell  me  of  his  pursuits,  and 
to  give  me  his  opinions,  while  I  took  notes 
scrupulously,  writing  at  his  dictation.  I 
did  not  trust  my  memory,  leaving  to  Guy- 
nemer's  own  words  all  of  their  flavor.  My 
part  was  limited  to  being  rather  a  faithful 
secretary  to  him  who  consented  to  speak  to 
me  about  his  profession  with  open  soul.  He 
knew  my  veneration  for  all  that  had  to  do 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

with  the  "Fifth  Arm,"  remembering  that 
the  first  article  devoted  to  "Sergeant  Guy- 
nemer"  had  been  written  by  me.  And  these 
several  .reasons  had  formed  a  bond  of  sym- 
pathy between  us  of  which  I  am  very  proud. 
So,  it  is  with  a  species  of  piety  that  I  take 
up  my  task,  but  before  going  further  into 
it,  it  seems  indispensable  to  reprint  here  the 
most  magnificent  article  ever  written  about 
the  Ace. 

This  article,  written  by  the  President  of 
our  Council,  M.  Georges  Clemenceau,  for 
UHomme  Libre,  when  it  was  still  "En- 
chained," is  not  only  a  splendid  piece  of 
literature,  but  is  at  the  same  time  a  most  fas- 
cinating homage  to  Our  Great  Lost  One. 
This  is  so  from  a  double  point  of  view,  for  it 
also  contains  the  famous  letter  from  Com- 
mandant Brocard  read  from  the  Tribune 
of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies.  And  I  can 
not  begin  these  notes  better  than  with  these 
admirable,  vibrant  lines: 


PREFACE  ix 


GUYNEMER 


"The  people  need  legends.  Happily  is 
this  true,  for  the  legend,  drawn  from  the 
deeds  themselves,  gives  birth  to  poesy, 
causes  the  hero  fully  realized  to  appear  be- 
fore their  eyes! 

"M.  Lasies  has  had  the  great  distinction, 
by  asking  a  great  mark  of  honor  for  Cap- 
tain Guynemer,  of  presenting  to  us  the  man 
of  the  legend,  before  the  halo  of  recoil  in  the 
simplicity  of  facts. 

"It  is  indeed  true  that  the  facts  them- 
selves must  speak  powerfully  enough  in 
themselves,  if  a  youth  of  twenty  is  to  fix 
himself  without  a  word  in  the  glory  of  mag- 
nificent renown  at  this  time  when  French 
annals  excel  the  ordinary  measure  of  his- 
tory, laden  with  deeds  of  grandeur. 

"Have  you  noticed  that  no  words  come  to 
us  about  the  armies?  Young  and  old,  all 
the  men  of  this  epoch  are  draped  in  silence, 


x  PREFACE 

finding  no  place  in  their  souls  save  for  the 
lost  beauties  of  action. 

"A  new  warfare  has  surged  upward  from 
the  depths  of  the  unexpected.  The  pomp 
and  decorum  of  chivalrous  actions  in  which 
our  ancestors  delighted,  the  very  ostentation 
of  the  Napoleonic  plumes,  which  by  con- 
trast called  for  the  simplicity  of  the  little 
hat  and  gray  coat,  have  given  way  to  silent 
ranks  of  phantoms,  wrapped  in  formless 
rags.  They  are  petrified  with  mud,  making 
their  way  through  swamps  of  subterranean 
paths  to  plant  their  engines  of  death,  and 
suddenly  hurl  their  thunders  upon  an  in- 
visible enemy,  while  others  fly  in  their 
winged  machines — supreme  humiliation  of 
Pegasus — for  voiceless  combats  in  the  in- 
finite space  of  the  blue  vault.  Beneath  the 
earth  or  in  the  heavens,  the  novelty  of  the 
deeds  of  heroism  outstrips  the  imagination. 
And  so,  behold,  this  race  which  was  in  love 
with  warlike  sestheticism,  finding  itself  sud- 


PREFACE  xi 

denly  summoned  to  furnish  victims  to  the 
devouring  monster,  War,  in  the  shape  of 
improvised  combatants,  equipped  as  none 
had  ever  dreamed.  History  is  witness  that 
without  ado,  without  theatrical  gesticula- 
tions, these  soldiers  of  epic  battles,  France, 
at  the  first  leap,  has  found  them. 

"How  difficult  it  is  to  find  a  little  black 
point  through  a  rift  in  the  clouds,  which, 
found  again  soon  afterwards  in  the  field 
of  blue,  is  about  to  wrap  itself  in  a  mist 
of  white  smoke,  which  seems  to  be  celebrat- 
ing in  its  honor,  but  which  is  only  Death's 
messenger.  That  is  Guynemer,  far  up  there, 
or  some  other  of  the  'Storks'  under  attack 
by  German  shrapnel.  This  war,  beyond  the 
range  of  vision,  in  the  tragic  infinity  of 
space,  where  they  face  one  another  now, 
watched  by  all  the  world,  sentinels  lost  from 
earth,  who  will  exact  something  most  beau- 
tiful for  Humanity. 

"He  who  was  able  to  place  himself  in  the 


xii  PREFACE 

first  rank  of  that  band  of  messengers  from 
the  earth  to  the  heights,  in  response  to  the 
winged  beings  which  the  heavens  sent  us 
long  ago,  fully  merits  living  among  us  as  a 
symbol  of  one  of  the  greatest  efforts  of  the 
human  will. 

"There,  all  alone,  in  the  very  highest,  in 
the  imperturbable  calm  of  absolute  self- 
possession,  waiting  for  nothing  but  a  succes- 
sion of  unerring  motions,  by  the  correctness 
of  eyesight  and  promptness  of  bold  deci- 
sions, on  the  edge  of  a  bottomless  abyss 
ready  to  swallow  everything  without  the 
supreme  aid  of  a  look  or  a  hand  of  a  friend, 
is  that  not  something  far  above  all  the  his- 
toric beauty  of  the  greatest  sacrifices  for  the 
noblest  causes — something  as  it  were  of  a 
miraculous  concentration  of  superhuman- 
ity?  To  face  every  day,  every  day,  the  sub- 
lime adventure,  in  the  sun,  in  the  wind,  in 
the  rain,  to  pursue  the  enemy  and  seize  upon 
the    decisive   moment   miraculously,    which 


PREFACE  xiii 

will  place  him  at  the  mercy  of  the  cannonad- 
ing, beneath  the  fugitive  angle  which  is  of- 
fered suddenly,  and  will  never  occur  again, 
to  begin,  and  begin  again,  every  day,  and 
to  always  come  back  victorious:  this  is  the 
living  Guynemer,  now  borne  away  in  a  great 
apotheosis,  amid  the  acclamations  of  his 
companions  in  glory,  sound  judges  as  to  the 
matter  of  heroism,  which  has  become  to 
them  the  habit  of  every  moment. 

" Guynemer  who  was  born  to  civil  life,  like 
so  many  of  his  companions,  when  William 
II.  of  Germany  decided  that  the  hour  had 
come  for  France  to  demonstrate  what  she 
had  preserved  beneath  the  ashes  of  that  no- 
bility of  blood  in  which  her  history  had  been 
kneaded,  Guynemer,  without  a  word,  de- 
cided to  lift  his  France  to  the  highest!  And 
upon  that  day  when  his  destiny  had  been 
achieved,  all  of  us  bear  witness,  that  with- 
out ever  having  taken  the  trouble  to  say  it, 
he  did  it. 


xiv  PREFACE 

"One  day,  it  was  granted  me  to  clasp  that 
hand  in  which  not  a  quiver  revealed  the  con- 
trol of  the  supreme  power  of  nerves  and 
resolution.  Eyes  of  lovable  youth!  A  gen- 
tle smile  of  timidity!  Simple  quiet  replies, 
with  one  of  those  gestures  disguising  the 
legitimate  consciousness  of  great  hours  in- 
cessantly lived  over !  Captain  Brocard,  who 
had  conquered  the  right  of  saying  something 
about  his  friend,  could  not  restrain  himself 
from  referring  rapidly  to  the  prodigy  of  his 
exploits,  arid  the  hero  had  made  a  gesture 
of  silence,  as  if  to  excuse  himself.  In  the 
greatest  heart  lies  the  purest  simplicity. 

"This  is  all  that  I  can  say,  for  I  would 
not  pardon  myself  if  I  were  led  by  tempta- 
tion to  beflower,  by  too  easy  romanticism, 
the  impeccable  lines  of  that  youthful  France 
so  classically  realized.  Nevertheless,  M. 
Lasies  assumed  the  duty  of  a  brief  commen- 
tary which  he  had  the  art  to  accompany  by  a 
brief  adieu  from  his  friends. 


PREFACE  xv 

"This  squadron  of  'Storks'  was  founded 
in  April,  1915,  with  an  average  effective  of 
ten  pilots.  To-day  it  counts :  killed  or  miss- 
ing, 22 ;  wounded,  23.  It  has  had  six  squad- 
ron-chiefs: 3  killed,  Captain  Auger,  Lieu- 
tenant Peretti,  Captain  Guynemer;  3 
wounded,  Commandant  Brocard,  Captain 
Heurtaux,  Lieutenant  Deullin. 

"Really  this  tells  everything.  M.  Lasies 
is  to  be  thanked  for  having  so  understood. 

"Yet  there  is  still  room  for  these  fine 
words  of  Lieutenant  Raymond,  the  present 
Commandant  of  the  'Stork  Squadron': 

"  'He  was  our  friend  and  our  master,  our 
pride  and  our  protection.  His  loss  is  the 
most  cruel  of  all  those,  so  numerous,  alas, 
which  have  emblazoned  our  ranks.  You 
may  well  believe  that,  nevertheless,  our 
courage  has  not  been  beaten  down  with  him. 
Our  victorious  revenge  will  be  hard  and  in- 
exorable.' 

"Finally  Commandant  Brocard,  his  chief, 


XVI 


PREFACE 


one  of  those  wounded  in  this  squadron,  said : 
"His  heroic  fall  is  certainly  not  more 
glorious  than  that  of  the  artilleryman  who 
falls  upon  his  cannon,  of  the  infantryman 
slain  in  full  assault,  or  than  that  of  the  poor 
soldier  sadly  engulfed  in  the  mud. 

:  'But  for  more  than  two  years  all  of  us 
have  seen  him  cleaving  the  heavens  above 
our  heads,  the  heavens  lighted  up  by  shining 
sun  or  darkened  by  lowering  tempests,  bear- 
ing upon  his  poor  wings  a  part  of  their 
dreams,  of  their  faith  in  success,  of  all  that 
our  heart  held  of  confidence  and  hope. 

"  'Guynemer  was  merely  a  powerful  idea 
in  a  rather  frail  body,  and  I  lived  near  him, 
with  the  secret  sorrow  of  knowing  that  some 
day  the  idea  would  slay  the  container. 

"  'Poor  boy!  All  the  children  of  France 
who  wrote  to  him  daily,  to  whom  he  was  the 
marvelous  ideal,  vibrated  with  all  his  emo- 
tions, lived  through  his  joys  and  suffered 
his  dangers.     He  will  remain,  to  them,  the 


PREFACE  xvii 

living  model  hero,  greatest  in  all  history. 
His  name  is  on  every  lip  and  they  love  him 
as  they  have  learned  to  love  the  purest 
glories  of  our  country.' 

"What  can  be  added?     A  tablet  in  the 

Pantheon,  statues,  speeches — pale  pictures 

of  the  great  deeds  which  Guynemer  lived 

through  in  reality.  Certainly  this  is  not  the 
time  to  speak  ill  of  the  mediocrity  of  the 
testimonials  by  which  we  are  permitted  to 
honor  his  real  glories.  However,  since  I 
can  not  but  render  my  homage  to  the  signal 
prodigality  of  French  heroism  displayed  by 
so  many  heroes,  unknown  to  us  and  pos- 
sibly to  themselves  (for  they  had  neither 
the  time  nor  any  idea  of  taking  account  of 
their  achievements) ,  as  well  as  to  Guynemer, 
who  is  the  finest  symbol  of  all  this,  stand- 
ing also  for  the  history  of  the  soldier  with- 
out a  history  who  falls  all  unattended  for 
the  most  beautiful  land  of  mankind,  with- 
out a  soul  near  him,  to  him  I  must  render 


xviii  PREFACE 

the  acknowledgment  of  recollection.  We 
give  him  this  thought  in  the  person  at  least 
of  his  representative  Guynemer.  He  was 
great  enough  to  have  done  that  which  he 
did  without  seeking  recompense  save  in  the 
silent  consciousness  of  having  done  his  full 
duty. 

"Saint  Paul,  with  his  hypothetic  pen,  'To 
an  Unknown  God,'  would  only  have  con- 
firmed the  too  precise  criticism  of  a  simple 
soul  with  respect  to  so  many  too  well-known 
gods.  When  it  happens  that  I  see  in  our 
public  places  so  many  men  of  stone  and 
bronze  whom  I  have  seen  raised  to  honors 
of  divinity  in  my  time,  I  can  not  restrain 
m3rself  from  thinking  of  the  great  absent 
figures  who  out  of  the  finest  in  themselves 
have  created  the  deepest  and  the  highest  for 
the  human  race.  They  have  no  need  of  the 
encumbrance  of  marble,  sometimes  railed  at 
by  sneering  critics,  that  the  acknowledged 
homage  of  the  sons  of  their  thoughts  rise 


PREFACE  xix 

towards  them.  If  it  be  possible  for  them 
to  have  any  feelings  in  their  tombs,  I  would 
rejoice  indeed,  for  then,  what  we  call  glory 
would  have  some  meaning.  Our  condition 
would  like  to  have  it  so.  For  my  part  I 
have  not  decided,  judging  that  life  itself, 
even  though  short,  is  a  sufficiently  beautiful 
adventure  in  that  unknown,  if  it  is  given  us 
to  live,  like  Guynemer,  long  or  short,  a  part 
of  the  infinite.  The  statues  themselves  per- 
ish, will  perish.  What  they  express,  if  it 
be  merited,  will  have  accomplished  no  less 
in  bringing  to  man  the  most  precious  treas- 
ure of  this  world:  the  fugitive  reasons  for 
hope. 

"This  completes  the  modest  value  of  my 
respectful  salutation  to  Guynemer.  He  is 
in  the  first  rank  of  that  youth,  born  of  us, 
which  on  the  very  first  day  proclaimed  itself 
upon  the  field  of  battle  as  the  resolute  re- 
pairer of  the  mistakes  of  the  past.  Guy- 
nemer is  one  of  those  children  whom  we 


xx  PREFACE 

made  ourselves  think  were  among  us,  in 
those  frightful  days  when  I  saw  strong  men 
nearly  despairing.  May  he  be  thanked,  hon- 
ored, celebrated  in  the  starry  night  of  his 
death,  for  having  encouraged  us  and  helped 
us  more  than  many  professional  encour- 
agers  and  helpers,  in  that  which  we  have 
done,  in  that  which  we  shall  do.  Action  has 
no  need  of  other  recompense  than  that  of 
propagating  action.  .  .  . 

"G.  Clemenceau." 

Are  not  lines  like  these  the  consecration, 
we  might  say  historically,  of  the  hero  who 
inspired  them?  They  show  beauty  of  char- 
acter, they  illumine  the  glory  of  valor,  they 
make  us  feel  the  extent  of  the  loss  felt  by 
France. 


A  FOREWORD 

ADVICE  TO  BOCHE-HUNTERS 

By  Captain  Georges  Guynemer 

The  public  as  a  rule  has  a  false  idea  of 
hunting  and  the  hunters.  They  very  easily 
imagine  that  we  are  way  up  there  at  our 
ease,  directing  events,  and  that  the  nearer 
we  are  to  heaven  the  more  we  are  invested 
with  Divine  Power.  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
journalists  to  educate  their  readers  and  pre- 
vent them  from  cherishing  opinions  as  wrong 
as  they  are  pitiable.  I  can  not  express  in 
words  the  enervation  which  I  feel  sometimes 
while  listening  to  the  inept  remarks  ad- 
dressed to  me,  in  the  form  of  compliments, 
and  which  I  am  compelled  to  accept  with  a 
smile,  which  is  almost  a  bite.      I  want  to 

xxi 


xxii  A  FOREWORD 

shout  out  to  the  speaker:  "But,  my  poor 
fellow,  you  ought  not  to  speak  about  this 
subject,  for  you  know  nothing  whatever 
about  it.  You  do  not  understand  the  first 
word  of  it  all,  and  you  can  hardly  believe 
how  little  your  eulogies  please  me,  under  the 
circumstances." 

But  if  I  answered  in  this  way,  no  one 
would  think  of  honoring  my  sincerity,  or 
my  desire  to  spread  sane  ideas — rather  ail 
would  declare  that  I  was  a  rude  fellow,  pre- 
tentious and  a  swaggerer,  or  something 
worse. 

This  is  the  reason  that  I  listen,  remain 
dumb  and  let  the  enervation  gnaw  at  me. 
Some  tell  me:  "It  is  better  to  leave  to  hunt- 
ing that  mysterious  atmosphere  which  serves 
as  an  aureole  to  the  Ace.  If  the  layman 
were  to  become  competent  to  judge,  he 
would  possibly  no  longer  hold  the  same  ad- 
miration for  the  hunters."  You  will  admit 
that  this  suggestion  is  not  very  flattering  to 


A  FOREWORD  xxiii 

us.  In  line,  according  to  this  suggestion, 
we  are  interesting  to  them  only  because  they 
know  nothing  about  our  work. 

All  the  less  have  we  any  reason  to  con- 
ceal the  intricacies  of  aerial  combat,  and  it 
is  the  duty  of  those  who  use  them  to  explain 
them  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  a  real  serv- 
ice to  the  young  and  to  demonstrate  to  the 
greater  public  that  if  we  are  sometimes 
worth  something,  it  is  not  always  for  the 
reasons  which  they  suppose. 

They  say  of  me:  "Guynemer  is  a  lucky 
dog." 

Certainly,  I  am  really  a  lucky  dog,  for  I 
have  added  up  forty-nine  (this  was  written 
before  the  grand  total  was  made)  victories 
and  am  still  alive,  and  I  might  have  been 
killed  during  my  first  fight.  If  we  talk  this 
way,  every  person  alive  to-day  is  lucky;  for 
he  might  have  died  yesterday.  De  la 
Palisse  reasons  in  this  fashion  because  he 
knows  nothing  about  hunting  by  aeroplane. 


xxiv  A  FOREWORD 

But  I  might  astonish  some  persons  con- 
siderably if  I  answered:  "It's  a  good  thing 
that  I  was  a  lucky  dog,  for  I  have  been 
brought  down  by  the  enemy  on  seven  dif- 
ferent occasions." 

I  know  that  they  will  rejoin  that  this  was 
really  luck,  for  I  managed  to  escape  death. 
But  we  could  continue  the  discussion  eter- 
nally on  the  same  subject  and  I  prefer  to 
abstain  from  it.  Was  it  luck  that  day,  when 
carried  along  by  the  great  speed  of  my  Nieu- 
port,  I  rushed  right  past  a  Boche,  giving 
him  a  chance  to  puncture  an  arm  and  wound 
me  in  the  jaw?  Was  that  luck,  my  fall 
of  3,000  meters  after  a  shell  had  passed 
through  a  wing  of  the  machine?  And  how 
many  episodes  there  are  of  a  similar  char- 
acter! Certainly,  I  do  not  wish  to  pretend 
that  the  question  of  chance,  which  I  call 
Providence,  does  not  intervene  in  war.  But 
between  that  and  the  assurance  that  every 
act  is  guided  by  a  manifestation  of  a  good 


A  FOREWORD  xxv 

star — there  is  a  world  of  difference.  The 
lucky  dog  is  he,  who  after  having  done  his 
duty  throughout  the  war,  comes  back  safe 
and  sound.  He  is  the  pilot  who  escapes  all 
perils,  the  poilu  who  has  safely  taken  part 
in  every  offensive.  But  how  many  will  they 
be,  the  actors  in  the  tragedy  who  will  be 
present  when  the  curtain  is  rung  down  for 
the  last  time? 

And  if  I  dispute  this  opinion  so  sharply, 
as  far  as  it  concerns  me,  it  is  not,  certes, 
because  I  am  annoyed,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
because  I  believe  that  it  is  rendering  a  poor 
service  to  say  that  we  succeed  in  any  human 
activity  through  luck.  Notwithstanding 
everything,  we  shall  end  by  assuming  a  con- 
fidence which  becomes  exaggerated  rash- 
ness under  the  pretext  that  we  are  a  "lucky 
dog."  Your  pupils  will  attempt  foolish  im- 
prudences, saying  "I,  too,  am  lucky."  And 
in  space  it  is,  nine  chances  out  of  ten,  that 
you    will   think   you    see    luck   when    you 


xxvi  A  FOREWORD 

meet  with  death.     It  is  an  error  of  vision! 

Yet  if  we  will  only  eliminate  this  factor 
we  shall  recognize  the  fact  that  neither  that 
unfortunate  Donne  nor  I  are  instances  of 
the  effect  of  chance  upon  the  career  of  aero- 
plane-hunters. He  was  surnamed  "Invul- 
nerable" because  he  almost  always  came 
back  from  his  cruises  without  a  scratch. 
We  were  almost  astounded  if  his  aeroplane 
bore  the  mark  of  a  single  bullet.  With  me, 
on  the  contrary,  I  had  the  special  faculty 
of  coming  back  with  missiles  all  over  my 
machine. 

Why  was  there  this  difference?  We  had 
almost  the  same  methods  of  attack.  We 
proceeded  along  uniform  principles,  ap- 
proaching the  enemy  to  point-blank  dis- 
tance. What  then?  The  reason  is  plain: 
Dorme  was  better  at  manoeuvering  than  I. 
He  called  upon  his  skill  to  help  him  at  the 
moment  of  attack,  and  when  he  judged  that 
he  was  not  sure  of  success,  he  went  into  a 


A  FOREWORD  xxvii 

spin  and  broke  away  from  the  duel.  I,  on 
the  contrary,  used  the  normal  method  of 
flying,  never  having  recourse  to  acrobatics, 
unless  it  was  the  last  means  to  be  employed. 
I  stayed  close  to  my  adversary,  as  if  I  were 
mad.  When  I  held  him,  I  would  not  let 
him  go.  These  two  systems  have  their  ad- 
vantages and  their  defects,  which  should  not 
astonish  you,  for  perfection  is  not  of  this 
world.  It  would  be  most  interesting  to  dis- 
sect both  methods,  but  you  must  see  that 
this  is  impossible  for  me  to  do. 

I  can  draw  but  one  conclusion  from  these 
two  methods  of  righting,  and  it  is  of  capital 
importance. 

It  is  that  hunting  must  be  done  according 
to  the  temperament  and  character  of  each 
individual  hunter.  If  it  show  itself  as  in- 
dividual prowess,  all  the  better.  This  must 
be  cried  out  aloud,  for  many  young  men 
come  to  the  squadron  with  false  ideas  and 
arrested    wills,    planning    to    bring    down 


xxviii  A  FOREWORD 

Bodies  in  the  style  of  Dorme  or  Heurtaux. 
He  who  has  in  him  the  quality  of  a  cham- 
pion is  the  pilot  who  has  recourse  to  his  own 
initiative,  to  his  own  judgment,  to  his  own 
personal  equation. 


Georges  Marie  Ludovic  Guynemer  was  born  in 
Paris,  December  24,  1891/..  His  father,  Paul  Guy- 
nemer, was  a  retired  officer,  who  devoted  much  of  his 
time  to  historical  research  and  was  especially  inter- 
ested in  tracing  the  Guynemer  descent  back  as  far  as 
the  Xlth  Century. 

Georges  attended  a  school  in  Compiegne,  and  later, 
when  twelve  years  of  age,  entered  Stanislas  College 
in  Paris.  At  the  end  of  the  first  year  he  was  given 
first  prize  for  Latin  and  Mathematics.  In  school 
sports  he  proved  himself  agile  and  ambitious,  even 
though  he  was  very  slender  and  more  or  less  delicate. 
He  afterwards  entered  the  School  of  Polytechnics  and 
specialized  in  mathematics.  He  had  been  especially 
fond  of  mechanical  toys  and  devices,  building  toy 
aeroplanes,  and  he  delighted  in  the  study  of  physics 
and  chemistry,  almost  blowing  himself  to  bits  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  with  some  of  his  chemical 
compounds. 

At  the  age  of  twenty,  Guynemer  volunteered  for 
service  on  November  23,  1911^.  On  account  of  his 
physical  weakness  he  was  refused  admission  no  less 
than  five  times,  but  finally  succeeded  in  being  ac- 
cepted as  a  student  mechanic,  April  26th,  1915. 

C.  H.  JL. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface vii 

Foreword  by  Georges  Guynemer      .      .      .  xxi 

CHAPTER 

I  The  First  Fights 1 

II   The  Ace  of  Aces  in  Action     .     .  5 

III  Special  Missions 13 

IV  Battles  in  the  Air 17 

V  The  Battle  Royal 23 

VI  The  Beginnings 33 

VII   From  Success  to  Success    ...  43 

VIII  A  Game  with  the  Boche     ...  51 

IX   Convalescents  in  the  Open     .      .  57 

X   Guynemer  Plays  a  New  Game      .  62 

XI   Citations  of  Victory     ....  68 

XII   Struck  by  a  Shell  at  3,000  Meters  72 

XIII  A  Long  Chase 81 

XIV  Guynemer  Celebrates  His  Birth- 

day with  a  Boche       ....  89 

XV  A  Battle  without  a  Gun    ...  96 

XVI  The  Outrages  at  Nancy     ...  99 

XVII  A  First  Triple 110 

XVIII  Vengeance     is     Stronger     than 

Death 116 

XIX  The  Magic  Quadruple  ....  120 


xxx  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX  An  Enemy  Picture  of  Guynemer  128 

XXI  An    Officer    of   the   Legion    of 

Honor 134 

XXII  Eleven  Shots  for  Three  Boches.  139 

XXIII  A  Modest  Hero 144 

XXIV  Victories  of  the  New  Aeroplane  153 
XXV  Never  at  the  Rear 161 

XXVI  The  Last  Flight       .     .     .     .     .  168 

XXVII  The  Fifty-three  Victories  Won 
by  Guynemer  as  Told  by  Him- 
self   in    His    Note-books    of 

Flight 179 

XXVIII  Record  at  Verdun 192 

XXIX  From  Note-book — Volume  II  .     .  202 

XXX  Six  Flights  in  Two  Hours       .     .  212 

XXXI  The  Fatal  Year 223 

Appendix 

The  Action  of  the  French  Con- 
gress and  Senate 240 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Georges  Guynemer,  when  he  began  his  fight 
against  the  Boche Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Guynemer  at  six  years  of  age 6 

Guynemer  when  ten  years  of  age         ....     6 

The  first  flight  of  the  Ace  of  Aces   ....       14 

Second  Lieutenant  Guynemer,  and  a  Boche 
victim 24 

Photograph  made  by  Guynemer  himself,  show- 
ing the  bombs  bursting  around  his  plane, 
while  he  was  on  a  reconnaissance  over  the 
German  lines 36 

Guynemer  shot  down  from  a  height  of  over 
9,000  feet  by  a  French  cannon — but  he  only 
suffered  a  bruised  knee ! 48 

One  of  Guynemer's  victims — first  shot  to 
pieces,  then  burned  almost  to  a  cinder  .      .       48 

"The  Winged  Sword  of  France"      ....       60 

Brought  down  by  a  Boche — but  within  the 
French  lines.  The  machine  alone  was  in- 
jured        70 

Guynemer's  application  to  the  Minister  of 
War  for  a  Pilot's  License,  endorsed  most 
warmly  by  the  head  of  his  Aviation  School       78 

A  page  from  Guynemer's  own  note-book  of 
flight,  which  records  his  first  victory,  July 

21,  1915 90 

xxxi 


xxxii    LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

La  Sixieme  Victoire 90 

Still  the  hero  of  all  France 102 

Piece  of  the  canvas  from  one  of  Guynemer's 
wings,  pierced  by  a  Boche  bullet  June  7, 
1917,  signed  by  him  and  given  to  Captain 
Lasies 112 

Guynemer,  with  the  Military  Medal  and 
"Legion  of  Honor" 122 

Guynemer  and  his  machine,  after  a  3,000 
metre  tumble 122 

Captain  Guynemer  decorated  with  the  Rosette 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  in  the  presence  of 
the  troops  of  France 132 

He  has  just  received  the  Rosette  of  an  Officer 
of  the  Legion  of  Honor 132 

Guynemer  face  to  face  with  a  defeated  Boche     146 

The  debris  of  three  aeroplanes  brought  down 
by  the  Ace  in  one  day,  March  16,  1917       .     156 

Guynemer  ready  for  patrol 156 

Guynemer  and  his  faithful  gunner,  Guerder     .      168 

Guynemer's  favorite  aeroplane  "Vieux 
Charles,"  on  exhibition  in  Paris   ....      180 

On  the  very  eve  of  his  death,  September  10, 
1917,  when  the  Ace  was  obliged  to  land  at  a 
Belgian  aerodrome  for  repairs       ....      192 

His  eighth  victory 204 

Last  page  of  Guynemer's  flight-book,  telling  of 
his  disappearance 204 

Guynemer's  pilot-card,  reproduced  in  "Die 
Woche"  of  Berlin,  after  his  death   .      .      .     226 

Visiting  card  of  a  Boche,  brought  down  by 
Guynemer 226 


GUYNEMER 

THE  ACE  OF  ACES 


GUYNEMER, 
THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  FIRST  FIGHTS 

I  knew  the  future  Ace  by  name  for  sev- 
eral months.  But  I  exaggerate,  for  they 
did  not  always  pronounce  his  name  the 
same :  sometimes  it  was  Guynemer,  at  others 
Guymener.  But  I  knew  from  his  comrades 
that  this  young  man,  this  youth  called  for 
admiration  from  all  who  came  near  him  or 
saw  his  work.  Writing  a  series  on  "The 
Stirring  Flights  of  the  War"  at  that  time, 
I  had  but  one  desire — to  know  this  pilot  of 
whom  every  one  already  spoke  only  with 
respect.     He  had  known  how  to  impress 


2        GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

himself  upon  all  by  his  mastery  and  bold- 
ness. 

Thanks  to  some  common  friends,  I  was 
introduced  to  him  one  day  when  he  came  to 
get  some  apparatus  at  the  "General  Avia- 
tion Reserve."  In  order  to  converse  we 
went  to  a  small  cafe  of  B  our  get.  I  must 
admit  that  then  as  now  it  was  forbidden  to 
the  military  to  take  alcohol,  so  our  first  in- 
terview took  place  back  of  the  shop,  with  a 
small  glass  of  Cinchona  cordial:  the  viola- 
tion, you  see,  was  quite  innocuous! 

There  were  several  present.  Sergeant 
Guynemer  talked  very  little  before  so  many. 
He  made  vague  statements,  telling  of  his 
fights  piecemeal.  I  was  interested  but  far 
from  satisfied.  By  trade  I  required  more 
precision.  But  my  talker  seems  indisposed 
to  speak  before  so  many. 

"I  want  to  write  an  article  about  you,"  I 
said  to  him. 

He  looked  at  me  with  those  piercing  eyes 


THE  FIRST  FIGHTS  S 

of  his,  as  if  he  were  taking  counsel  with 
himself,  and  after  several  seconds,  said: 

"All  right,  but  on  condition  that  you  do 
not  mention  my  name!" 

Such  was  his  modesty.  He  would  not  let 
me  publish  a  name  which  soon  thereafter 
was  to  be  pronounced  with  veneration  by 
the  entire  world. 

'With  that  understanding  let  us  get  close 
together  at  another  table,  where  we  shall  be 
perfectly  at  ease  as  we  converse." 

He  consented,  and  seemed  to  be  relieved 
at  not  having  to  talk  so  publicly.  Difficult 
as  he  had  seemed  to  interview  before,  and 
slow  of  speech,  when  we  were  smoking  in 
each  other's  faces,  he  went  into  all  details, 
told  me  stories,  not  omitting  a  single  fact 
by  which  we  could  follow  completely  his 
earlier  combats.  And  every  time  I  saw  him 
afterwards,  I  found  him  thus:  rather  silent 
and  even  taciturn  before  a  gallery,  but  a 
brilliant,  precise  talker  when  alone  with  me. 


4       GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

As  soon  as  he  began  to  talk  aviation,  and 
especially  pursuit,  he  did  not  stop  and  I  was 
always  charmed  with  his  conversation.  H' 
was  inexhaustible,  passing  from  one  subject 
to  the  other,  citing  a  fight  of  one  of  his  com- 
rades, admiring  the  courage  of  another,  pro- 
testing with  conviction  and  anger  against 
the  lack  of  knowledge  of  others,  returning 
to  the  subject  of  conversation  and  then  tak- 
ing up  another.  With  inexhaustible  energy 
he  seemed  to  be  afraid  that  he  would  not 
have  time  enough  to  tell  me  all  that  he 
wanted  to  tell.  He  advised  me  to  write  an 
article  upon  a  certain  subject,  suggested  an 
idea  to  begin  with,  begged  me  to  urge  a  re- 
form and  finally  consented  to  take  up  again 
the  purpose  of  our  conversation,  which  in- 
terested me  most :  his  victories.  When  I  left 
him,  I  had  a  note-book  almost  filled,  one 
pencil  worn  down  and  ...  a  cramped  hand. 
But  what  a  harvest! 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  ACE  OF  ACES  IN  ACTION 

Our  first  interview  dates  from  December, 
1915.  Guynemer  had  just  come  from  his 
fourteenth  fight.  I  transcribe  here  faith- 
fully the  notes  which  I  took  that  very  day 
at  his  dictation: 

"My  first  meeting  with  a  Boche  took  place 
on  July  19th.  I  was  on  a  two-seated  'Para- 
sol' with  Guerder,  my  mechanic,  as  passen- 
ger. I  had  promised  myself  for  some  time 
to  undertake  a  pursuit  in  my  aeroplane,  but 
I  had  always  been  ordered  on  reconnais- 
sances, photographic  missions,  and  that  kind 
of  work  did  not  suit  me  at  all.  It  is  not  that 
it  is  lacking  in  interest,  but  it  is  less  stirring. 
It  is  useful,  of  course,  but  how  monotonous. 
And,  besides,  it  is  always  set  aside  for  the 

5 


6       GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

newcomers  in  the  squadrons,  and  I  wanted 
to  show  that  grit  was  not  the  exclusive  pos- 
session of  the  older  men. 

"A  Boche  had  been  sighted  at  Cceuvres, 
and  so  I  took  flight  with  Guerder  and  was 
soon  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  Shortly  after- 
wards we  saw  him  just  over  Pierrefonds, 
but  he  saw  us  at  the  same  moment  and  fled 
precipitately.  As  his  plane  was  faster  than 
ours  there  was  no  possibility  of  catching  him. 
Nevertheless,  the  joy  of  finding  our  first 
adversary  made  us  attempt  the  most  impos- 
sible things.  From  a  great  distance,  a  very 
great  distance,  we  fired  at  him,  possibly 
without  any  real  hope  of  hitting  him,  but 
steadily  nevertheless.  We  pursued  him  as 
far  as  the  Coucy  aerodrome,  where  we  saw 
him  alight.  He  must  have  been  well  satis- 
fied with  his  performance:  as  a  'fleer'  he 
was  most  remarkable.  But  this  displeased 
us  greatly.  We  had  gone  out  to  beat  down 
a  Boche  (and  when  we  left  we  had  no  doubt 


Guynemer  when  six 
years  old. 


Guynemer  at  ten  years 
of  age. 


THE  ACE  OF  ACES  IN  ACTION  7 

of  success),  but  we  had  to  go  back  empty- 
handed. 

"There  we  were,  with  these  sad  thoughts, 
when  suddenly  another  black  point  appeared 
on  the  horizon.  Oh,  joy,  hurry  with  all  speed 
towards  him.  As  we  came  nearer  the  point 
became  larger  and  was  soon  plain,  as  a 
Boche:  it  was  an  Aviatik  sailing  at  about 
3,200  meters.  He  was  moving  towards  the 
French  lines,  thinking  only  of  what  he 
might  find  ahead,  but  appearing  not  to  think 
for  a  moment  that  an  enemy  bent  upon  de- 
stroying him  was  in  his  wake.  Poor  fellow, 
he  did  not  dream  that  on  his  track  were  two 
young  fellows  determined  not  to  return  to 
the  squadron  without  performing  their  task, 
two  young  fellows  who,  in  total  ignorance 
of  hunting,  were  convinced  that  all  game 
met  with  was  to  be  beaten  down,  and  believ- 
ing that  to  return  to  headquarters  without 
a  Boche  would  mean  derision. 

"And   we   hurried    towards    that    plane, 


8        GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

which  really  belonged  to  us,  we  thought.  It 
was  not  until  Soissons  was  reached  that  we 
came  up  with  him,  and  there  the  combat 
took  place.  During  the  space  of  ten  min- 
utes everybody  in  the  city  watched  the  fan- 
tastic duel  over  their  heads.  I  kept  about 
fifteen  meters  from  my  Boche,  below,  back 
of  and  to  the  left  of  him,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing all  his  twistings,  I  managed  not  to  lose 
touch  with  him.  Guerder  fired  115  shots, 
but  could  not  fire  precisely,  as  his  gun 
jammed  continually.  On  the  other  hand,  in 
the  course  of  the  fight  my  companion  was 
hit  by  one  bullet  in  the  hand  and  another 
'combed'  his  hair.  He  answered  with  his 
rifle,  shooting  well.  We  began  to  ask  our- 
selves how  this  duel  was  going  to  end,  but 
at  the  115th  shot  fired  by  Guerder,  I  had  a 
feeling,  very  sweet  I  will  admit,  at  seeing  the 
pilot  fall  to  the  bottom  of  his  car,  while  the 
'lookout'  raised  his  arms  to  heaven  in  a  ges- 
ture of  despair  and  the  Aviatik  did  a  nose 


THE  ACE  OF  ACES  IN  ACTION         9 

spin,  and  plunged  down  into  the  abyss  in 
flames.  He  fell  between  the  trenches.  I 
hastened  to  land  not  far  away,  and  I  can 
guarantee  that  I  never  felt  a  greater  elation 
than  at  that  moment. 

"At  last  I  was  able  to  live  my  dream!  I, 
who  had  so  long  desired  to  join  in  the  fight- 
ing, had  managed  to  gain  a  victory.  What 
shall  I  say  about  the  reception  given  me  by 
the  troops  on  the  ground :  ovations,  congrat- 
ulations, all  under  the  vengeful  cannon  of 
the  enemy.  I  have  beaten  down  other 
Boches  since  that  time,  but  when  I  think 
over  my  aerial  duels  my  recollections  always 
fly  back  to  that  first  one. 

"Two  days  later  I  received  a  letter  which 
gave  me  the  highest  satisfaction,  for  it 
proved  to  me  the  friendliness  of  the  infan- 
try. They  have  so  often  said  that  the  in- 
fantry is  jealous  of  the  aviators  that  I  was 
happy  at  this  testimony  of  sympathy.  It 
proved  to  me  that  if  at  times  the  'Poilu'  does 


10      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

not  love  the  pilots,  it  applies  to  certain  ex- 
ceptions of  which  the  'fifth  arm'  is  not  over- 
proud." 

With  charming  modesty  Guynemer  did 
not  wish  me  to  make  a  copy  of  the  letter 
of  which  he  had  spoken  with  such  deep  emo- 
tion. He  explained  that  the  one  who  signed 
it  might  not  be  pleased  to  see  it  given  pub- 
licity. He  added  that  if  it  were  printed  his 
comrades  might  think  that  he  was  trying  to 
get  unfair  publicity.  It  was  only  after  I 
had  promised  that  I  would  not  use  it  that 
the  hero  allowed  me  to  make  a  copy  of  it  for 
my  personal  collection.  The  Ace  of  Aces 
is  no  more.  Those  who  honor  his  memory 
are  no  longer  restrained  by  the  discretion 
which  he  showed,  hence  I  quote  the  follow- 
ing: 

"July  20,  1915. 
"Lieutenant-Colonel  Maillard,  commanding 
the  regiment  of  Infantry,  to  Cor- 


THE  ACE  OF  ACES  IN  ACTION   11 

poral  Pilot  Guynemer  and  Mechanician 
Guerder,  of  Squadron  M.  S.  3,  at  Vau- 
ciennes.      The    Lieutenant-Colonel,    the 
Officers,  all  the  Regiment: 
"Witnesses  of  the  aerial  combat  in  which 
you  took  part  above  their  trenches,  with  a 
German    Aviatik,    have    applauded    spon- 
taneously at  your  victory  which  terminated 
by  the  vertical  fall  of  your  adversary,  and 
they  address  to  you  their  warmest  felicita- 
tions  and   share   the  joy  which  you  must 
have  felt  after  so  brilliant  a  success. 

"Maillard." 

The  official  recognition  followed  on  the 
next  day.  The  Military  Medal  recom- 
pensed the  two  victors.  Here  is  the  trans- 
script  of  the  one  to  the  Pilot:  "Corporal 
Guynemer,  a  Pilot  full  of  spirit  and  bold- 
ness, volunteering  for  the  most  dangerous 
missions,  after  a  sharp  pursuit,  has  met  a 
German  aeroplane  in  a  combat,  which  ended 


12     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

by   setting   it   on  fire   and  bringing  it  to 
earth." 

Guynemer,    not    forgetting    his    friends, 
added  to  his  report: 

"Vedrines,  who  up  to  this  time  had  shown 
me  a  fine  spirit  of  fellowship,  was  one  of 
the  first  to  congratulate  me.  He  had  come 
up  in  an  automobile,  and  seeing  me  so 
happy,  so  overjoyed,  did  not  wish  me  to  go 
back  piloting  the  aeroplane :  as  he  was  afraid 
that  I  might  refuse  or  feel  hurt  in  some  way, 
he  explained  his  purpose  with  such  fine  deli- 
cacy that  I  could  not  refuse.  He  said  that 
as  he  had  been,  as  it  were,  my  mentor  in  the 
squadron  up  to  this  day,  he  was  very  anx- 
ious to  escort  the  victor  of  the  day  to  the 
aerodrome.  It  was  impossible  for  me  to  re 
ject  so  friendly  a  suggestion,  so  it  was  as 
Vedrines'  passenger  that  I  went  back  to  the 
station  of  M.  S.  3  on  the  plane  which  had 
just  brought  me  my  success." 


CHAPTER  III 

SPECIAL   MISSIONS 

Eager  for  all  the  facts,  I  persuaded  Guy- 
nemer  to  consult  his  note-book  of  flight,  so 
that  there  be  no  mistake  of  memory,  and  not 
to  omit  one  interesting  story.  He  submitted 
gracefully  to  this  journalistic  exigency. 

"It  is  true,"  said  he,  "I  was  about  to  for- 
get to  tell  you  that  I  had  performed  two 
special  missions  on  September  29th  and  Oc- 
tober 1st." 

The  special  mission  at  that  time  was  all 
the  fashion.  The  fashion  is  only  a  mode  of 
speech,  for  we  never  find  many  amateurs. 
It  is  an  ungrateful  task,  dangerous,  with 
many  terrible  results,  and  is  executed  only 
by  volunteers.  Vedrines  was  the  great  Ace : 
he  executed  seven  of  these.  Guynemer,  be- 
longing to  the  same  squadron,  did  not  hesi- 

13 


14      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

tate  an  instant.    He  offered  at  once  to  serve. 

What  is  a  "Special  Mission"?  The 
enemy  having  published  the  story  of  two 
men  who  have  performed  these  missions,  we 
are  telling  him  nothing  when  we  say  that  it 
has  to  do  with  two  aviators  departing  to- 
gether, going  over  the  territory  of  the 
enemy  and  returning  separately. 

"The  first,"  said  Guynemer,  "was  hard 
enough,  for  the  weather  was  execrable.  I 
had  the  wind  at  my  back  on  the  way  out, 
but  when  coming  back  it  blew  straight 
against  me,  and  I  was  afraid  I  would  never 
get  back.  It  took  three  hours  to  complete 
my  task,  and  I  thought  all  the  time  that  I 
would  never  be  able  to  regain  our  lines. 

"The  second  was  even  more  fertile  in  in- 
cidents, and  after  it  I  swore  never  to  trv 
anything  like  it  again.  They  had  told  me 
the  place  which  I  was  to  study.  I  left  and 
everything  went  without  incident,  until  I 
reached  the  place  pointed  out  to  me.     I 


The  first  flight  of  the  Ace  of  Aces. 


SPECIAL  MISSIONS  15 

stopped  my  motor  so  as  not  to  attract  any 
notice,  and  descended  in  spirals.  Two  fields 
were  beneath  my  wings:  one  magnificent,  a 
real  billiard-table,  seeming  to  make  despair- 
ing appeals  to  me ;  the  other  filled  with  ruts, 
rough,  all  cut  up  into  furrows,  the  very  last 
place  that  any  one  would  think  of  landing. 
I  did  not  hesitate,  selecting  the  former. 
And  I  continued  to  descend.  While  plan- 
ing downward  I  could  not  help  reflecting. 
That  green  earth  which  seemed  to  have  put 
on  festal  garments  to  receive  me,  was  it  not 
too  beautiful  to  be  hospitable?  Attention! 
I  looked  carefully,  and  what  did  I  see? 
Steel  wires  all  across  it  in  treacherous  fash- 
ion. It  was  a  ruse  of  the  Bodies — a  trap 
for  pilots! 

"What  chance  had  I  to  be  distrustful? 
Quickly  I  turned  on  the  gas  and  climbed 
upwards,  and  all  the  more  did  I  decide  to 
land  on  the  other  ground,  the  bad  place 
which  I  had  just  disparaged  a  moment  be- 


16     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

fore.  Now  it  seemed  most  favorable.  So 
it  was,  and  notwithstanding  several  disquiet- 
ing bumps  on  landing  I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  finding  that  not  a  bit  of  my  plane 
was  damaged.  Some  seconds  later  I  rose 
without  trouble  and  began  my  flight  anew. 
All  ended  well,  but  I  had  come  near  being 
singed.  Really,  the  special  mission  is  a 
mean  job." 

A  second  citation  recompensed  the  Pilot: 

"He  has  proved  his  valor,  energy  and 
coolness  by  accomplishing  as  a  volunteer  an 
important  and  difficult  mission  during 
stormy  weather." 

And  we  came  back  to  hunting  expedi- 
tions, for  I  did  not  dare  question  Guynemer 
about  his  start.  I  kept  this  subject  for  an- 
other time.  I  was  afraid  at  this  first  inter- 
view of  boring  him  with  too  many  questions, 
and  so  I  kept  the  recital  of  all  his  fights  for 
another  day. 


CHAPTER  IV 

BATTLES    IN    THE   AIR 

"On  September  30th,  when  I  was  in  a 
single-seated  plane  at  3,200  meters  (it  is 
notable  that  all  my  duels  in  the  air  took 
place  at  this  altitude),  more  than  30  kilo- 
meters within  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  I 
was  challenged  by  a  Fokker.  My  rapid-fire 
gun  jammed  and  I  could  not  get  it  work- 
ing. I  was  in  a  position  where  I  could  not 
reply  to  fire.  The  enemy,  when  50  meters 
from  me,  fired  no  less  than  200  times,  and 
by  a  miracle  did  no  more  than  puncture  one 
of  my  tires.  But  the  situation  might  change 
from  one  moment  to  another,  and  the  chance 
was  that  the  Boche  would  finally  hit  me  in 
a  less  kindly  way.    I  had  to  find  some  speedy 

solution.     A  sea  of  clouds  floated  some  500 

17 


18     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

meters  beneath  us,  and  I  did  not  hesitate, 
notwithstanding  the  advice  always  given  us, 
to  avoid  clouds  and  mist,  to  plunge  at  full 
speed  into  the  expanse  of  cloud  and  disap- 
pear from  the  eyes  of  my  adversary,  who 
certainly  had  already  counted  me  as  beaten 
down,  to  be  added  to  the  list  of  his  con- 
quests. 

"This  disappearance,  which  was  much  like 
the  dropping  of  the  traitor  through  a  trap- 
door in  a  melodrama,  must  have  upset  all 
the  calculations  of  the  Boche.  For  ten  min- 
utes I  lay  hidden  in  that  sea  of  mist.  I 
could  see  nothing,  but — and  that  was  the 
main  point — I  was  not  seen.  The  Fokker 
had  to  stand  on  guard  and  I  had  to  avoid 
falling  foul  of  him.  Here  again  luck  helped 
me:  I  shot  up.  climbing  rapidly.  When  I 
reached  the  open  air,  I  found  myself  lean- 
ing on  one  wing,  but  soon  regained  my 
equilibrium.  The  enemy  was  no  longer 
there,  and  I  did  not  wait  for  him :  I  hastened 


BATTLES  IN  THE  AIR  19 

to  regain  our  lines,  breathing  more  than  one 
sigh  of  relief. 

"On  November  6th  there  was  a  new  in- 
cident for  my  eighth  fight,  and  this,  too,  on 
account  of  my  gun  jamming.  Really,  my 
rapid-fire  guns  gave  me  endless  trouble.  I 
must  admit  that  it  is  because  I  had  not 
studied  how  they  worked  with  sufficient 
care.  But  I  did  finally  learn  how  to  handle 
them,  and  now  when  they  jam  it  is  because 
they  can  not  help  it.  On  this  day  my  gun 
was  frozen  and  refused  to  go  off.  If  I  had 
know  then  what  I  know  now  I  would  only 
have  had  to  press  on  the  percussion-cap  and 
the  frozen  oil  would  not  have  resisted  any 
longer.  But  the  hunter  has  to  learn  how  to 
hunt. 

"I  was  over  Bozieres-en-Santerre,  at 
3,200  meters,  as  usual,  when  I  saw  a  superb 
150  horse-power  L.  V.  G.  with  a  Para- 
bellum  quick-firer. 

"I  began  by  trying  to  face  him  so  as  to 


20     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

fire,  when  I  found  that  my  rapid-fire  gun 
had  not  the  least  murderous  intention.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  good  Boche  god  were  pro- 
tecting him.  But  I,  my  French  God,  the 
true  God,  was  He  about  to  abandon  me? 
What  was  I  to  do?  No  clouds  about  to-day 
— I  must  find  some  other  way  out. 

"Only  one  resource  was  left,  to  use  the 
enemy  as  a  shield!  I  turned  on  one  wing, 
passed  below  him  and  remained  about  two 
meters  below  the  body  of  his  machine.  I 
regulated  my  speed  by  his,  and  from  a  dis- 
tance we  must  have  looked  like  one  gigantic 
apparatus.  You  may  be  sure  that  I  lost  not 
a  single  detail  of  the  German  device.  But 
what  was  the  use,  for  I  had  not  even  a  re- 
volver to  shoot  with,  but  the  Boche  would 
have  been  at  my  mercy  with  the  most  inof- 
fensive weapon. 

"He,  who  had  me  at  the  moment  I  turned, 
had  no  more  warlike  ardor.  He  must  have 
been  very  much  annoyed,  for  he  had  fol- 


BATTLES  IN  THE  AIR  21 

lowed  each  move,  and  knew  that  I  was  very 
close  to  him,  just  underneath.  He,  too, 
must  have  had  his  regrets :  if  there  had  only 
been  a  trapdoor  under  his  seat  he  could  al- 
most have  knocked  me  down  by  a  kick  on 
the  head.  But,  is  it  not  true  that  the  plane 
builders  could  not  think  of  everything,  and 
would  hardly  have  dreamed  that  aeroplanes 
ever  would  be  used  for  a  dual  parade  like 
this.  The  person  above  hardly  dared  to 
make  a  motion  downward  for  fear  of  coming 
too  close  to  me,  and  being  dragged  down 
by  my  fall.  He  certainly  flew  perfectly 
straight  and  level.  As  for  myself,  finding 
it  too  foolish  to  be  in  this  position  without 
being  able  to  take  advantage  of  it,  I  fussed 
with  my  gun  again,  trying  to  get  it  to  work. 
I  had,  of  course,  to  drop  the  steering  con- 
trol. It  was  certainly  not  the  moment  to 
do  such  a  thing.  Suddenly  I  saw  that  I 
was  about  to  collide  with  the  only  Boche 
with  whom  I  seemed  to  have  an  understand- 


22      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

ing.  Judging  that  the  danger  was  immi- 
nent, I  quickly  gave  a  blow  at  the  foot-lever 
to  the  right  to  avoid  telescoping,  and  in 
the  resulting  turn  my  left  wing  caught  the 
right  wing  of  the  enemy:  it  was  a  moment 
of  high  tension,  you  will  easily  understand. 
But  it  was  nothing,  only  a  little  bit  of  cloth 
was  torn  from  my  apparatus.  We  parted, 
on  even  wing,  but  reestablished  our  rela- 
tive position  as  if  we  had  always  sailed  to- 
gether in  twin-fashion.  And  I  can  assure 
you  that  the  Boche  did  not  try  to  profit  by 
the  situation:  he  speeded  away  as  fast  as 
possible,  without  stopping  to  see  whether  I 
could  find  my  way  alone.  I  think  that  if  he 
has  not  yet  been  killed  he  will  not  soon  for- 
get this  experience.  The  'Siamese  Twins 
of  the  Air'  might  well  serve  as  the  title  of 
our  joint  recollections. 

'But  these  different  contests  did  not  in- 
crease the  number  of  my  victories,  so  I  did 
not  find  them  at  all  to  my  taste." 


CHAPTER  V 

A   BATTLE   ROYAL 

"The  5th,  8th  and  14th  of  December 
were  to  be  more  favorable  for  me.  On  the 
first  day,  while  I  was  cruising  around,  I 
fought  with  an  Aviatik  over  the  forest  of 
Ourscamp.  I  had  been  watching  him  for 
an  hour  and  a  half.  He  had  made  several 
attempts  to  cross  the  French  lines  and  every 
time  he  saw  me  he  fled,  only  to  come  back 
again  a  little  later.  I  could  not  continue  this 
game  of  hide-and-seek  indefinitely.  I  dashed 
towards  him  and  got  him.  He  received  me 
with  two  shots  from  his  rapid-firer.  I  re- 
plied by  a  row  of  47  cartridges,  and  almost 
at  once  saw  with  joy  that  he  was  falling,  all 
a- whirl.  During  the  fall,  at  200  meters  be- 
low me,  I  beheld  a  really  tragic  spectacle: 

23 


24      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

in  a  sudden  twist  of  the  aeroplane  left  to 
itself,  one  of  its  two  passengers  was  thrown 
overboard  and  dashed  to  the  earth. 

"My  victory  was  more  conclusive  on  De- 
cember 8th.  I  was  on  my  way  to  cruise  in 
the  sector  of  Roye-Nesle.  I  had  about  fin- 
ished, after  gaining  some  interesting  infor- 
mation, but  not  having  seen  a  single  Boche 
in  the  air.  I  turned  towards  our  quarters  and 
was  getting  ready  to  come  down,  when  upon 
turning  my  head  to  see  whether  I  had  left 
the  air  clear,  I  saw  far  over  the  enenty  lines, 
and  much  higher  than  I  was,  a  large,  superb 
foe.  Ah,  there  was  the  wished-for  prey! 
Without  stopping  to  see  whether  I  had 
plenty  of  gas  aboard,  I  hastened  towards 
him.  He  was  coming  towards  our  territory. 
I  let  him  come  on,  for  my  success  of  the  5th, 
when  I  could  find  only  the  body  of  the 
'Lookout,'  had  determined  me  to  bring 
down  the  Boches  within  our  lines  whenever 
I  could,  if  the  occasion  permitted.     I  re- 


Second  Lieutenant  Guynemer  and  a  Bbche  victim. 


A  BATTLE  ROYAL  25 

strained  myself  all  I  could  while  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  my  foe.  It  required  no  less 
than  thirty  minutes,  and  I  admit  that  I  was 
most  impatient  all  that  time.  I  mapped  out 
my  plan  of  combat.  I  recalled  all  the  con- 
ditions under  which  earlier  fights  had  taken 
place,  and  drew  certain  conclusions,  not, 
however,  without  saying  to  myself  that  my 
entire  plan  would  probably  not  correspond 
with  the  facts.  And  I  really  preferred  to 
have  it  so,  that  I  might  gain  by  experience 
a  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  aerial  hunt- 
ing. 

"Finally  my  Boche  came  near.  He  passed 
over  the  trenches  of  Beuvraigne,  zigzagging 
all  the  way,  to  see  whether  he  was  pursued, 
or  if  there  was  anything  to  fear.  He  was  a 
careful  man!  But,  nevertheless,  he  did  not 
see  me.  I  took  advantage  of  this!  I  came 
up  from  the  rear  and  overtook  him  in  a  few 
minutes,  swooping  down  upon  him  some 
twenty  meters  below  me.     I  fired  a  volley 


26     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

of  47  cartridges.  The  Boche,  a  large 
L.  V.  G.,  turned  over  at  once  and  caught 
fire.  I  had  hardly  the  time  to  see  him 
pirouette  in  space,  the  effect  was  so  sudden. 
"As  had  been  the  case  three  days  earlier, 
the  passenger  was  tossed  out  of  the  appara- 
tus by  this  sudden  twist  caused  by  my  shots. 
He  fell  in  a  wood  in  Bus.  And  the  aviator 
continued  his  fall  into  the  abyss!  Fire  had 
broken  out  almost  at  once.  At  1,500  meters 
I  saw  an  awful  thing:  the  pilot  in  his  turn 
was  tossed  out  of  the  cockpit.  He  had  sat 
there  motionless,  jolted,  tossed  about  like  a 
puppet.  He  was  dead!  But  his  fall  had 
been  brought  about  by  the  fire.  His  belt  be- 
ing burned  through,  he  had  swayed  with  the 
aeroplane  at  every  turn,  until  it  turned  com- 
pletely over  and  he  fell  out.  This  sight  was 
really  tragic.  The  unfortunate  man  was 
dashed  to  bits  at  Tilloloy,  some  four  kilo- 
meters from  the  body  of  his  comrade.  As  to 
the  aeroplane,  it  fell  some  hundred  meters 


A  BATTLE  ROYAL  27 

the  other  side  of  the  line.     It  was  really  a 
collection  of  scattered  elements. 

"Now  comes  an  incident  which  is  rather 
amusing,  proving  how  well  I  had  cooperated 
with  the  other  'Arms'  that  day.  The  Boches 
came  out  of  their  trenches  to  recover  the 
debris  of  the  aeroplane  which  had  made  a 
great  explosion  with  its  bombs  when  it 
struck  the  ground.  At  the  instant  our  ar- 
tillery fired,  getting  several  victims.  The 
survivors  did  not  seem  any  more  interested 
in  aviation  and  hastened  to  take  refuge  in 
a  small  neighboring  house.  The  cannons 
continued  and  demolished  the  shelter,  which 
buried  in  its  ruins  all  the  enemies  who  had 
deemed  themselves  safe  there. 

'Thanks  to  my  victory,  the  French  had 
accomplished  a  double  stroke.  And  I  was 
quite  proud  of  it,  I  am  free  to  admit,  with- 
out any  false  modesty.  As  to  my  good  luck, 
just  think!    At  the  moment  I  landed  I  did 


28     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

not  have  more  than  two  liters  of  gasoline. 
It  was  high  time ! 

"In  the  following  week,  the  14th,  Bucquel 
and  I  had  gone  out  as  an  escort  of  some 
bombarding  planes,  which  were  to  operate 
upon  the  aerodrome  of  Hervilly.  I  sighted 
a  Fokker,  which,  in  the  course  of  a  fight  with 
a  Voisin,  had  had  its  observer  killed:  the 
French  pilot  had  seen  him  crumple  up  at 
the  stern.  Bucquet  started  out  in  pursuit  of 
this  Boche,  already  heavily  handicapped,  cut 
off  his  retreat  and  saw  but  one  person  on 
board.  At  last  I  came  up.  The  Fokker 
gave  the  impression  of  being  abandoned, 
out  of  order.  It  came  towards  me,  so  to 
speak,  as  if  it  recognized  a  friend.  He  did 
not  know  what  he  was  doing.  Of  course  I 
took  advantage  of  the  situation;  I  fired  35 
shots  at  short  range,  and  as  he  was  above 
me  and  my  four  comrades  helped  the  enemy 
to  go  down  to  the  nether  regions,  he  nearly 
caught  me  as  he  fell. 


A  BATTLE  ROYAL  29 

"Soon  thereafter  I  attacked  a  second 
Fokker  (single-seat) ,  firing  through  the  pro- 
peller, looking  much  like  a  14  meter  Mo- 
rane-Saulnier.  He  seemed  to  have  a  100 
horse-power,  single-valve  motor.  Then 
came  a  real  phantasia.  We  turned  about 
one  another  almost  vertically,  less  than  ten 
meters  apart,  each  one  hoping  to  get  the 
favorable  position.  As  soon  as  we  found  the 
other  in  the  line  of  fire  we  fired.  I  was  em- 
barrassed, for  my  spring  was  twisted  and  I 
had  to  work  my  rapid-firer  with  my  hand 
over  my  head.  And  in  this  series  of  meeting 
manoeuvers  two  hands  were  not  too  much. 
It  looked  as  if  the  fight  would  end  in  a  col- 
lision. I  had  fired  21  cartridges  when  it 
seemed  to  me  that  the  fatal  telescoping  was 
certain.  I  pulled  on  my  levers  and  literally 
jumped  over  my  adversary  as  a  horse  jumps 
a  barrier  at  Auteuil.  I  can  state  that  mv 
wheels  passed  not  more  than  50  centimeters 
over  the  Boche's  head.     Disheartened,  he 


30     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

preferred  not  to  insist.  I  asked  nothing  bet- 
ter, for  my  plane  was  more  or  less  injured: 
a  valve-rocker  torn  out,  an  inlet  pipe  mashed, 
the  coil  pierced,  not  counting  many  holes  in 
the  wings,  the  rudder,  the  body  and  huge 
notches  in  the  propeller  which  had  been  hit 
by  a  bullet  and  the  debris  of  the  rocker.  It 
had  held  together  miraculously,  notwith- 
standing all  these  breaks,  and  was  not 
smashed.  A  descending  cable  was  also  sev- 
ered. For  my  fourteenth  fight  I  had  been 
royally  served." 

Such  was  my  first  conversation  with  Ser- 
geant Guynemer,  who  a  few  days  later,  De- 
cember 24, 1915,  in  celebration  of  his  twenty- 
first  birthday,  received  the  Cross  of  a  Cheva- 
lier of  the  Legion  of  Honor  with  this  in- 
scription : 

"Pilot  of  Great  Valor,  filled  with  devo- 
tion and  courage.  Within  six  months  he  has 
carried  out  two  special  missions  requiring 


A  BATTLE  ROYAL  31 

the  finest  spirit  of  sacrifice  and  taken  part  in 
13  combats  in  the  air,  of  which  two  ended  in 
the  burning  and  downfall  of  enemy  aero- 
planes." 

(Note. — Guynemer  actually  took  part 
in  14,  not  13  air-battles.) 

Moreover,  he  was  recompensed  with  a 
third  citation: 

"He  has  not  ceased  giving  the  finest  in- 
stances of  boldness,  courage  and  self-pos- 
session in  carrying  out  the  most  perilous 
missions  successfully.  He  has  just  suc- 
ceeded for  the  second  time,  on  December 
8th,  in  beating  down  an  enemy  aeroplane, 
its  two  passengers  being  killed." 

The  victory  of  December  5th  was  quite 
similar.  Thus  we  have  reached  the  fourth 
in  the  table  of  glory  established  by  him,  as 
follows : 


32     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

First  Boche,  July  19,  1915. 
Second  Boche,  December  5,  1915. 
Third  Boche,  December  8,  1915. 
Fourth  Boche,  December  14,  1915. 

As  to  "Palms,"  they  are  shown  by  the 
Military  Medal,  the  Legion  of  Honor  with 
four  palms,  the  fruits  of  seven  months'  work. 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  BEGINNINGS 

I  saw  the  hero  a  few  weeks  later.  He  had 
read  the  articles  devoted  to  him,  which  I  had 
written  for  various  papers  and  magazines 
and  thanked  me  not  for  having  talked  about 
him,  but  for  not  having  made  him  play  a 
"ridiculous"  part. 

"It  is  so  easy,"  said  he,  "to  make  those 
persons  whom  we  are  discussing  odious,  even 
with  the  best  intentions  in  the  world.  I  was 
afraid  that  you  would  praise  me  in  such  a 
way  that  the  reader  would  be  disgusted. 
What  you  have  written  in  the  Journal  and 
Tai  Vu  has  pleased  me  because  of  its  ex- 
actness. But  how  the  devil  you  understood 
me  so  fully  just  from  my  talk  about  my  first 
fights  is  remarkable." 

38 


34     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

I  explained  how  I  had  taken  notes,  add- 
ing: "You  see,  it  is  better  to  answer  the 
questions  which  I  put  to  you.  In  this  way 
at  least  I  shall  make  no  mistakes,  and  I  am 
sure  that  nothing  will  be  omitted." 

"You're  a  devil  of  a  fellow!"  And  every 
time  he  met  me  afterwards  he  used  the  same 
expression,  with  his  charming  smile: 

"Here  is  that  devilish  man  to  whom  you 
must  always  tell  everything." 

That  day  I  took  advantage  of  the  open- 
ing to  ask  him  some  details  about  his  be- 
ginnings with  the  squadron.  With  his  usual 
good  grace  he  told  me: 

"You  wrote,  by  some  miracle,  that  I  had 
taken  up  aviation  after  having  been  rejected 
five  times.  But  here  I  must  correct  you. 
You  said  that  I  had  been  cured,  but  that 
is  only  being  postponed.  Let  it  go  at  that! 
I  began  by  becoming  a  student-mechanic  in 
the  school  at  Pau.  I  worked  and  learned 
all  that  I  could  with  but  one  purpose :  to  be- 


THE  BEGINNINGS  85 

come  an  aviation-pupil.  It  took  a  long  time, 
was  very  trying  and  discouraging!  At  last 
I  gained  my  entrance,  January  26,  1915. 

"On  the  very  next  day  I  began  training. 
But  that  is  really  only  a  way  of  speaking, 
for  the  training  in  the  first  few  days  is  noth- 
ing more  than  shoveling  snow.  I  put  all  my 
heart  into  it  while  waiting  for  better  things, 
for  I  knew  that  the  rest  was  fated  to  come 
in  normal  fashion.    I  had  only  to  be  patient. 

"On  February  1st  my  apprenticeship  as  a 
pilot  took  on  aerial  character.  I  drove  a 
taxi,  and  then  the  following  week  I  mounted 
an  aeroplane,  going  in  straight  lines,  turn- 
ing and  gliding,  and  on  March  10th  I  made 
two  flights  lasting  twenty  minutes  in  day- 
light. At  last  I  had  my  wings.  I  passed 
the  examination  next  day.  Then  I  flew  on 
a  Bleriot,  but  they  authorized  me  to  try  a 
Morane,  and  I  was  sent  to  the  school  of 
Avord.  On  April  26th  I  received  my  mili- 
tary commission.    I  ought  to  state  that  dur- 


36     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

ing  my  training  I  came  near  being  scratched 
from  the  list,  a  certain  head-pilot  claiming 
that  I  was  foolishly  imprudent  because  I 
made  too  difficult  flights,  according  to  his 
way  of  thinking,  and  because  I  flew  when 
the  weather  was  unfavorable.  He  did  not 
understand,  poor  man,  that  it  was  not  my 
desire  to  'play  to  the  gallery,'  but  that  I 
was  working  along  what  seemed  to  me  rea- 
sonable lines :  was  not  this  apprenticeship  to 
make  real  pilots  of  us?  When  the  test  was 
passed  these  pilots  were  to  go  to  the  front. 
And  if  they  did  not  know  all  the  secrets  of 
flight,  all  the  mysteries  of  aviation,  they 
would  be  poor  aviators  and  could  not  render 
the  service  required  of  them.  It  seemed  to 
me  that  the  sanest  logic  required  that  those 
who  formed  the  squadron  should  be  abso- 
lutely fit,  and  that  for  them  flying  should 
have  become  so  automatic  that  they  could 
fly  in  any  weather  and  under  any  conditions 
whatever.    But  this  was  not  the  opinion  of 


Photograph  made  by  Guy n enter  himself  whits   '"■  -"vrc  on  a 

reconnaisance  over  the  German  lines,  showing  bombs 

bursting  around  his  plane. 


THE  BEGINNINGS  37 

our  head-pilot.  It  is  true  that  he  had  en- 
joyed no  opportunity  to  engage  in  actual 
warfare." 

It  was  a  biting  phrase  and  required  a 
commentary.  Guynemer  was  a  sincere 
friend  and  a  devoted  comrade,  but  he  had 
striking  ideas  and  always  most  spirited  in 
connection  with  those  whom  he  thought  lying 
in  ambush  or  tricksters.  These  were  objects 
of  hatred  to  him!  He  hated  no  others.  I 
shall  take  occasion  to  discuss  his  opinions  on 
this  subject.  This  great  Frenchman  could 
not  consider  those  who  did  not  perform  their 
duty  loyally  and  never  omitted  an  opportun- 
ity of  advising  me  to  write  an  article  about 
them.  But  to  return  to  our  conversation. 
Guynemer  is  now  ready  to  take  his  place 
in  the  squadron. 

"On  May  22,  1915,  I  was  ordered  to  leave 
for  the  General  Reserve,  where  I  received 
an  appointment.  On  June  8th  I  reached 
M.  S.  3,  established  at  Vauciennes.    It  was 


38     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

commanded  by  our  master  in  all  things,  one 
of  the  creators  of  'hunting,'  Captain  Bro- 
card.  I  found  Vedrines  there,  and  he  re- 
ceived me  in  friendly  fashion.  Famous  for 
his  special  missions  which  added  a  new  page 
to  the  glorious  sum  of  his  successes,  he  gave 
me  all  the  information  possible.  To  him  I 
was  a  boy,  who  amused  him.  He  took  pleas- 
ure in  giving  me  all  the  advice  that  I  wanted. 
And  there  was  much  of  this!  He  took  me 
to  the  lines,  had  me  visit  the  sector,  and  ac- 
cepted me  even  as  a  partner  in  a  special 
mission,  my  first. 

"I  began  my  work  with  reconnoissances. 
Now  this  kind  of  work  does  not  interest  me 
any  more,  but  when  we  are  new,  and  want 
to  do  something,  it  is  really  thrilling  to  be 
way  up  there,  studying  the  ground,  asking 
oneself  questions  with  the  help  of  the  map, 
and  above  all  admiring  the  stoicism  of  our 
soldiers  who  live  there  in  those  holes,  beneath 
those  murderous  mounds,  having  as  their 


THE  BEGINNINGS  39 

companions  the  cannon,  cooking-pots  and 
grenades.  Poor  fellows,  how  the  aviator 
should  love  and  venerate  them  and  help  them 
when  he  can!  Captain  Brocard  is  the  one 
who  has  instilled  into  us  this  love  for  the 
infantry.  He  never  misses  an  opportunity 
of  making  us  feel  the  difference  between 
them  and  ourselves,  and  really  we  ought  to 
insist  upon  this  point  in  all  the  squadrons. 
Many  of  the  coldnesses,  many  of  the  en- 
mities would  disappear!  Oh,  yes,  making 
these  reconnoissances  is  a  work  which  in  the 
long  run  becomes  fatiguing  and  monoto- 
nous, but  what  recollections  are  left  by  those 
first  flights  over  the  battlefield,  what  a  splen- 
did spectacle,  and  how  sad! 

"In  order  to  make  a  reconnoissance  a 
man  must  put  his  whole  heart  into  it.  The 
command  wants  facts,  and  it  is  indispen- 
sable to  bring  them  to  the  commander  as 
complete  as  possible.  It  is  at  the  risk  and 
under  many  perils  of  the  pilot,  and  I  admit 


40     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

that  I  have  returned  frequently  after  more 
or  less  serious  attacks.  On  June  17th,  not- 
ably, I  came  back  with  eight  wounds,  an- 
other time  with  nine,  while  a  tenth  bullet 
passed  only  a  few  inches  from  my  face.  The 
Boche  cannon  shoot  straight,  but  we  have 
to  show  them  that  they  do  not  frighten  us." 

What  Guynemer  did  not  tell  me,  but  I 
learned  from  his  comrades,  was  the  story  of 
one  of  these  reconnoissances. 

The  last  comer  to  the  squadron,  with  the 
air  of  a  "young  girl"  as  Vedrines  used  to 
say,  he  felt  in  the  beginning  that  they  did 
not  take  him  seriously,  notwithstanding  all 
the  work  that  he  did.  He  thought  that  they 
had  a  kind  of  protective  friendship  for  him, 
which  was  pleasant,  but  that  they  had  no 
great  confidence  in  him.  Therefore,  he  de- 
cided to  show  them  something  very  decisive, 
after  which  they  could  be  no  longer  in  doubt. 
One  day  while  on  a  photographing  mission, 
he  was  picked  out  especially  by  the  aerial 


THE  BEGINNINGS  41 

batteries  of  the  enemy.  According  to  the 
captain  who  accompanied  him  as  a  passen- 
ger, more  than  a  thousand  shells  were  fired 
at  them.  Without  flinching  from  this  ter- 
rific deluge  Guynemer  did  not  make  a  sin- 
gle turn  to  escape  the  attacks.  He  went 
straight  towards  his  objective.  The  recon- 
noissance  lasted  an  hour.  When  he  had  fin- 
ished his  work  the  observer  gave  him  the 
signal  to  return.  But  the  pilot  drove  di- 
rectly towards  the  guns  which  were  trying 
to  beat  him  down,  and  holding  his  personal 
photographic  apparatus  out  to  his  compan- 
ion asked  him  to  take  some  pictures  of  the 
mortar  attacking  the  aeroplane. 

From  that  day  on  not  a  person  in  the 
squadron  doubted  the  future  of  this  youth! 

"What  I  must  tell  you,"  said  Guynemer, 
modest  to  excess,  "is  the  courage  of  the  ob- 
servers. When  we  stop  to  think  that  those 
officers  deliver  up  their  lives  to  a  pilot  who 
may  make  one  mistake,  be  the  victim  of  a 


42     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

moment  of  dizziness,  or  of  a  fainting  fit,  or 
even  of  a  mortal  wound,  or  anything  else, 
and  that  they  busy  themselves  only  with  the 
ground  and  their  map,  in  order  to  bring 
back  the  best  possible  report,  we  can  not 
admire  them  too  much.  I  admit  that  I 
would  not  like  their  profession.  I  am  not 
afraid,  but  I  accept  that  danger  against 
which  I  can  fight,  while  the  observer  has  to 
have  blind  confidence  in  his  pilot  and  never 
stop  to  consider  the  steering  of  the  aero- 
plane. Almost  always  he  knows  nothing 
whatever  about  the  mysteries  of  aviating, 
and  yet  he  is  there  with  you  to  whom  he  has 
given  his  life  in  charge.  It  is  an  art  in  itself 
and  you  must  take  into  consideration  these 
unknown  artisans  of  victory,  the  most  useful 
collaborators  of  the  commander.  I  assure 
you  that  an  observer  like  Lieutenant  Co- 
lomb,  for  instance,  has  deserved  well  of  the 
country." 


CHAPTER  VII 

FROM   SUCCESS  TO  SUCCESS 

When  Guynemer  became  a  specialist  in 
pursuit  he  naturally  stopped  all  reconnois- 
sances  and  found  himself  assigned  to  a  sin- 
gle-seated aeroplane.  In  January,  1916,  he 
did  not  add  a  single  victory  to  his  list,  but 
February  was  to  give  him  new  success. 

In  April,  when  he  came  out  of  the  hos- 
pital, I  had  a  chance  to  pass  a  few  minutes 
with  him  and  Second-Lieutenant  Raty,  one 
of  his  intimate  friends,  a  remarkable 
"hunter,"  made  a  prisoner,  but  in  whom  all 
saw  a  future  Ace. 

Of  course  both  of  us  asked  the  Ace,  Raty, 
to  get  information  about  hunting  and  the 
way  to  fight,  I  to  add  to  my  documents  about 
him  whom  we  all  considered  a  phenomenon, 

43 


44     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

for  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  at  that  time 
aerial  encounters  were  not  yet  so  common. 
Indeed,  on  February  3,  1916,  in  the  course 
of  a  single  flight,  Guynemer  succeeded  in 
getting  his  first  official  "double." 

"I  was  making  my  usual  round  in  the 
Roy  sector,"  said  he,  "just  before  luncheon. 
I  was  about  ending  the  flight,  when  looking 
around  to  see  if  I  might  leave  safely,  I  saw 
an  aeroplane  in  the  distance.  Ah !  the  game 
was  coming  to  me.  Good,  all  I  had  to  do 
was  not  to  let  it  escape.  It  was  an  L.  V.  G. 
I  gave  chase  and  soon  caught  up  with  it.  He 
did  not  seem  to  wish  to  avoid  the  fight,  as  so 
often  happens.  Possibly  he  had  not  seen 
me  after  all.  Being  faster  than  he  I  got  in 
back  of  him,  opening  fire  at  100  meters,  and 
firing^  at  intervals  soon  exhausted  the  47 
cartridges  of  my  Lewis.  At  that  instant  a 
cloud  of  smoke,  which  increased  rapidly, 
made  a  sinister  tail  to  the  Boche,  which 
dived,    severely    wounded.      Alas!    he    fell 


FROM  SUCCESS  TO  SUCCESS    45 

within  his  own  lines  and  I  could  not  follow 
him  to  earth.  I  certainly  considered  that  I 
had  one  enemy  less,  but  my  total  was  not 
improved,  and  I  admit  that  I  regretted  it, 
for  I  needed  my  fifth. 

"Providence  was  on  the  watch!  I  was 
coming  back,  thinking  over  the  methods  of 
fighting,  considering  how  I  had  attacked, 
asking  myself  whether  I  would  not  have 
done  better  to  approach  from  some  other  di- 
rection, when  at  almost  11:30  I  found  an- 
other hunting  L.  V.  G.,  disguised,  armed 
with  a  Parabellum.  Yes,  I  had  made  a 
mistake  just  now,  when  I  opened  fire  from 
so  far  away — I  should  have  waited.  At  100 
meters  we  can  not  be  sure  of  the  aim.  My 
method,  which  up  to  this  time  always  con- 
sisted in  attacking  almost  point-blank, 
seemed  to  me  much  better.  It  is  more  risky, 
but  everything  lies  in  manoeuvering  so  as  to 
remain  in  the  dead  angle  of  fire.    Certainly 


46     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

it  is  rather  difficult,  but  nevertheless  it  can 
be  mastered  with  skill. 

"While  going  over  these  things  to  myself 
I  had  come  near  enough  to  the  Boche  with- 
out running  any  great  danger.  At  20 
meters  I  fired.  Almost  at  once  my  adver- 
sary tumbled  in  a  tail-spin.  I  dived  after 
him,  continuing  to  fire  my  weapon.  I  plainly 
saw  him  fall  in  his  lines,  where  he  was 
crushed.  That  was  all  righi,  no  doubt  about 
him.  I  had  my  fifth !  I  was  really  in  luck, 
for  less  than  ten  minutes  later  another 
L.  V.  G.,  sharing  the  same  lot,  spun  down- 
ward with  the  same  grace,  taking  fire  as  he 
fell  through  the  clouds. 

'The  second  day  afterwards,  before 
Frise,  in  a  new  tete-a-tete  with  an  L.  V.  G., 
I  leaped  forward,  caught  up  with  him,  got  in 
back  of  him,  a  little  below  to  avoid  his  fire, 
and  at  15  meters  fired  45  cartridges.  He 
swayed  sadly,  in  the  shock  of  death,  which  I 
was  beginning  to  be  able  to  diagnose,  then 


FROM  SUCCESS  TO  SUCCESS    47 

fell  like  a  stone,  taking  fire  on  the  way.  He 
must  have  been  burned  up  between  Asse- 
villers  and  Herbecourt. 

"Although  he  was  really  my  seventh 
Boche,  he  alone  gained  me  the  honor  of  a 
special  communication." 

A  fifth  citation  recompensed  the  Ace: 

"A  hunting  pilot  with  audacity  and 
energy  for  any  emprise.  On  February  3rd 
he  has  caused  the  fall  of  three  enemy  aero- 
planes in  succession,  in  their  lines.  On  Feb- 
ruary 5th  he  attacked  an  L.  V.  G.  aeroplane 
and  beat  it  down  in  flames  over  the  German 
lines." 

Raty  was  not  satisfied  with  mere  side- 
anecdotes — he  wanted  the  facts  as  to  the 
method  of  fighting.  Guynemer  acceded 
with  enthusiasm: 

"The  most  difficult  thing  is  to  compel  the 
Boche  to  accept  the  duel.  He  does  not  lack 
courage,  but  he  prefers  not  to  run  the  risk 


48     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

of  being  brought  down.  Every  time  that 
you  come  up  with  him  and  that  he  can  not 
do  otherwise,  he  conducts  himself  with  great 
valor.  Up  to  this  time  I  have  never  met  a 
cowardly  opponent  who  inspires  you  with 
repulsion.  Some  defend  themselves  more 
or  less  expertly,  others  attack  without 
method,  some  are  especially  adroit.  It  has 
seldom  happened  to  me  to  return  without 
some  wounds.  On  several  occasions  my 
garments  were  drilled  with  holes.  I  took 
the  chance  that  they  would  hit  some  mortal 
spot.  On  March  6th,  for  instance,  I  was  in 
a  two-seater  and  the  union-suits  of  my  ob- 
server and  myself  were  almost  like  sieves. 

"Once  the  Boche  has  been  compelled  to 
accept  the  meeting,  it  is  well  to  be  on  your 
guard,  for  his  arms  are  most  redoubtable. 
The  first  tactics  require  that  you  should  not 
face  the  sun,  lest  you  be  dazzled.  Then  do 
not  place  yourself  in  front  of  the  enemy,  as 
you  would  offer  too  easy  a  target.      The 


Guy  firmer  shot  dovon  from  a  height  of  over  9,000  feet  by  a 
rench  cannon — /;///  he  only  suffered  a  bruised  kneef 


One  of  Guynemer's  victims,  first  shot  to  pieces,  then  burned 

almost  to  a  cinder. 


FROM  SUCCESS  TO  SUCCESS    49 

best  position  is  at  the  rear,  a  little  below,  so 
as  to  render  him  helpless  without  an  op- 
portunity of  returning  your  fire.  When 
you  have  succeeded  in  getting  in  this  posi- 
tion do  not  lose  hold  on  him.  You  must  not 
lose  sight  of  one  of  the  movements  of  the 
adversary,  following  him,  as  if  moved  by 
the  same  power ;  in  a  word,  cling  to  him  like 
a  leech.  And  as  soon  as  you  have  the  Boche 
in  the  line  of  fire,  shoot  in  jerks,  so  as  not  to 
waste  shots  and  to  fire  only  with  good  aim. 
It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  belt  of  our 
Lewis  guns  have  only  47  cartridges,  while 
those  of  their  Parabellum  have  250.  That 
is  quite  a  difference. 

"I  set  upon  my  rival,  but  this  is  a  method 
which  has  its  drawbacks.  We  never  know 
when  he  will  regain  his  hold  and  'dress'  you 
in  turn.  Surprise  is  the  best  way  to  conquer 
and  the  sudden  attack  is  one  that  has  always 
served  me  well.  When  I  prolong  the  attack, 
it  is  because  I  had  no  luck,  but  it  is  stronger 


50     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

than  I ;  when  I  have  a  Boche  in  front  of  me, 
I  can  not  make  up  my  mind  to  let  him  go. 
I  know  them  too  well:  they  will  say  when 
they  go  back  that  they  have  beaten  rne 
down." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

A   GAME    WITH    THE   BOCHE 

"One  victory  which  amused  me  greatly 
was  that  which  I  carried  off  on  March  12th. 
I  was  a  hundred  leagues  away  from  where 
they  awaited  me. 

"I  was  then  ordered  to  go  and  reenforce 
the  aviation  of  the  Verdun  army,  which  had 
great  work  to  do  against  the  fifth  Boche 
arm,  really  redoubtable  in  this  sector.  Here 
we  encountered  all  kinds  of  new  models  of 
hunting  aeroplanes.  We  were  therefore  cer- 
tain to  have  plenty  to  do.  Before  Navarre's 
arrival  the  supremacy  of  the  air  plainly  be- 
longed to  the  enemy,  all  during  the  month 
preceding  the  offensive  of  February  21st. 
Navarre  accomplished  many  deeds  of  prow- 
ess, and  equalized  the  chances  of  the  bellig- 

51 


52     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

erents.  Now  we  had  to  gain  the  advantage 
over  them.  Thus  several  squadrons,  includ- 
ing No.  3,  had  been  appointed. 

"We  left  on  the  12th.  I  had  my  rapid- 
fire  gun  ready  for  anything  that  might  oc- 
cur, but  I  did  not  think  that  during  the  trip 
I  would  have  any  opportunity  to  use  it. 
There  I  made  a  mistake:  near  Thiescourt  I 
caught  sight  of  a  two-seated  L.  V.  G.  I 
overtook  it  near  Ribecourt.  A  few  shots, 
fire!  It  was  all  over:  one  less  Boche,  one 
more  for  me.  I  thought  that  this  success 
out  of  the  beaten  track,  I  might  say,  was  to 
bring  me  some  stunning  work  when  I  was 
on  the  track. 

"So  on  the  next  day,  it  was  the  13th — but 
an  aviator  can  not  stop  on  account  of  super- 
stitions— I  left  with  the  firm  determination 
to  bring  down  at  least  two,  for  there  were 
so  many  in  the  sky  around  Verdun.  I  be- 
gan by  putting  to  flight  what  I  think  was  a 
group  of  reconnoitering  aeroplanes — a  pity 


A  GAME  WITH  THE  BOCHE         53 

I  could  not  catch  up  with  them.  On  the  way 
back  I  saw  two  Bodies.  There  were  the 
two  that  I  was  to  bring  down.  I  rushed  at 
them,  speeding  all  I  could,  getting  below 
one,  to  the  rear,  a  little  to  one  side,  firing 
seven  shots  at  point-blank  distance.  He 
turned  about  and  went  away  with  lead  in 
his  wings,  but  I  could  not  take  up  time  with 
one  of  his  kind. 

"As  to  the  other — he  was  certainly  an 
Ace.  He  was  not  afraid  and  fired  as  hard 
as  he  could.  My  aeroplane  knows  some- 
thing about  that.  I  wanted  to  get  myself 
under  the  body  of  his  machine  to  bring  him 
down  safely.  Unfortunately  I  had  speeded 
up  too  much,  going  faster  than  he,  and  I 
passed  beyond  him.  Quickly  the  Boche 
took  advantage  of  the  situation  and  sent  a 
hot  fire  at  me.  He  could  shoot  at  me  as  he 
pleased.  My  cape  shot  to  bits,  flew  in  rib- 
bons. A  deflected  bullet  struck  me  in  the 
face,  slashed  my  cheek  and  nose  and  two 


54     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

bullets  went  through  my  left  arm.  I  still 
have  a  splinter  in  my  jaw,  and  the  surgeons 
say  it  is  better  to  leave  it  there.  It  is  a  sou- 
venir, so  long  as  it  is  a  fetich  and  allows  me 
to  avenge  myself.  In  fine,  I  was  sprinkled 
all  over. 

"I  bled  freely  and  actually  suffered.  I 
had  to  look  out  that  I  did  not  'drop  like  an 
apple.'  I  studied  the  situation  hastily.  1 
let  myself  fall,  plunging  downward  300 
meters  to  make  him  think  that  I  had  been 
knocked  down.  And  as  now  another  aero- 
plane came  up  to  help  my  rival  in  the  at- 
tempt to  finish  me,  I  turned  about,  and 
steering  with  one  hand,  I  succeeded  in  re- 
gaining our  lines,  landing  at  Brocourt. 

"I  shall  never  be  able  to  express  my  re- 
grets at  having  to  leave  my  comrades.  I 
considered  it  a  feast  to  be  able  to  take  part 
in  the  great  battle.  One  mistake  on  my  part, 
the  cutting  of  a  vein  by  my  adversary  was 
enough  to  keep  me  from  the  front. 


A  GAME  WITH  THE  BOCHE  55  * 

"But  soon  I  was  almost  well,  and  I  tell 
you  that  I  determined  to  'put  in  some  good 
licks'  to  compensate  for  lost  time.  They 
would  have  to  pay  me  for  my  sojourn  at  the 
hospital." 

And  then  came  two  new  citations,  the 
sixth  and  seventh: 

"On  March  6th  he  has  engaged  in  a  com- 
bat with  a  German  aeroplane,  in  the  course 
of  which  his  aeroplane,  his  garments  and 
those  of  his  observer  were  pierced  by  bullets. 
On  March  12,  1916,  he  attacked  a  two- 
seated  German  aeroplane  and  beat  it  down 
in  flames  in  the  French  lines:  21  aerial  bat- 
tles in  eight  months;  8  German  aeroplanes 
beaten  down,  7  of  these  within  or  near  the 
French  lines." 

"Second-Lieutenant  Guynemer:  ordered 
to  rejoin  the  Verdun  army,  beat  down  an 
enemy  aeroplane  on  the  way.  Hardly  ar- 
rived he  took  part  in  five  aerial  battles.    In 


56     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

the  course  of  the  last,  being  caught  between 
two  enemy  aeroplanes,  he  had  his  left  arm 
pierced  by  two  bullets.  Hardly  was  he  im- 
proved when  he  took  up  again  his  work  at 
the  front." 

We  must  recollect  that  the  first  Boche 
dates  from  July  19, 1915.  In  less  than  eight 
months  the  Ace  of  Aces  had  seen  seven 
palms  find  a  place  on  his  War  Cross! 

He  was  to  progress  much  more  rapidly  at 
his  work! 

As  he  left  us  Guynemer  expressed  his  high 
appreciation  of  the  Baby  Nieuport,  which 
had,  nevertheless,  been  the  cause  of  his  be- 
ing wounded  on  account  of  its  great  speed. 
Enthusiastic  about  its  manageability,  he 
claimed  that  this  apparatus  could  play  its 
part  well  against  the  best  of  the  enemy  fight- 
ing aeroplanes. 


CHAPTER  IX 

CONVALESCENCE    IN    THE    OPEN 

Just  like  Nungesser  who,  healed  twice, 
never  wanted  to  leave  the  army,  and  always 
refused  furloughs  for  convalescence,  using 
the  time  profitably  to  increase  the  hecatomb 
of  Bodies,  as  if  up  there  they  could  not  dare 
suspect  a  wounded  man — just  like  Dorme, 
and  Triboulet,  and  Matton,  Guynemer 
would  not  rest  once  he  had  left  the  hospital. 
It  is  by  signs  like  these  that  we  find  the 
souls  of  great  heroes  who  know  nothing 
about  vacations,  even  for  their  health,  so 
long  as  others  are  fighting. 

And  there  is  no  ostentation  in  actions  like 
these.  Matton  and  Triboulet  found  death 
during  these  furloughs  which  they  refused. 
If  they  had  listened  to  the  surgeons  they 
might  still  be  among  us. 

57 


58      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Guynemer  himself  did  not  even  tell  Raty 
and  me  of  his  decision  when  he  saw  us. 
Was  it  not  beautiful,  that  youthful  action 
prompted  by  the  purest  filial  piety?  This 
great  hero  of  the  air  had  done  something  to 
please  every  one  and  his  father,  may  I  not 
say,  just  for  once.  He  was  not  strong  and 
should  have  rested.  His  parents  wanted 
him  to  do  so.  A  too  hasty  return  to  the 
squadron  would  have  been  disastrous  to  his 
health.  Boche  hunter,  he  wished  to  con- 
tinue his  work  of  convalescence  in  the  air. 
What  was  he  to  do  in  this  conflict  between 
feelings  equally  noble  and  to  be  respected? 

Guynemer  always  found  quick  and  fitting 
solutions  of  difficulties:  yes,  he  would  obey 
his  family  by  going  near  them  at  Compiegne, 
but  at  the  same  time  he  would  serve  France. 
Not  far  from  his  paternal  home,  at  Vau- 
ciennes,  his  Baby  Nieuport  rested  in  a  han- 
gar, and  it  was  once  more  to  carry  him  into 
those  great  open  spaces  searching  for  the 


CONVALESCENCE  IN  THE  OPEN      69 

enemy  whenever  the  atmosphere  permitted. 

One  of  the  hero's  sisters  was  entrusted 
with  the  task  of  studying  the  atmosphere  at 
dawn  every  day  to  see  if  it  were  "Boche 
weather."  And  as  soon  as  it  was  light 
enough,  slyly,  like  a  boy  going  out  to  muse 
in  the  fields  notwithstanding  the  orders  of 
his  elders,  the  Second-Lieutenant  Ace  came 
down  from  his  room  and  mounted  his  chariot 
for  a  glorious  assault. 

He  was  convinced  that  no  one  in  the  house 
suspected  his  escapades  except  his  sister. 
How  poorly  he  understood  the  heart  of  a 
father  and  mother!  And  M.  Guynemer  has 
told  me  of  the  anxieties,  the  worries  lived 
through  during  that  convalescence.  The 
boy  had  gone.  Would  he  come  back? 
Would  some  hateful  enemy  appear  on  the 
way  and  prevent  his  return  to  the  bosom 
of  his  family?  The  minutes  of  anxiety 
were  as  long  as  centuries.  Magnificent 
instants,  but  how  moving!     And  the  lov- 


60     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

ing  mother  did  not  dare  show  her  son 
that  she  was  not  deceived  by  his  strata- 
gems: she  did  not  wish  him  to  see  her  when 
she  watched  him  fly  away.  But  she  wished 
to  send  after  him  one  look  of  love,  as  a  bene- 
diction that  should  guard  him  against  per- 
fidious attacks.  Through  the  blinds  she 
watched  him  depart  in  the  service  of  his 
Country,  and  when  she  saw  her  boy  draw 
far  away,  she  turned  back,  so  often  with 
tears  in  her  eyes. 

Here  is  one  of  the  most  moving  pages  in 
the  hero's  life.  This  feigned  ignorance  on 
the  part  of  the  parents,  the  plotting  of 
brother  and  sister.  Only  persons  with 
hearts  can  appreciate  the  situation  and  mar- 
vel. 

Guynemer,  face  to  face  with  his  family, 
pretended  that  he  would  run  no  danger.  He 
insisted  on  his  own  prudence.  Nothing  se- 
rious could  happen  to  him,  because  he 
avoided  all  risks.    Yes,  their  son  spoke  just 


The  Winged  Sword  of  France. 


CONVALESCENCE  IN  THE  OPEN      61 

this  way.  But  as  soon  as  he  began  to  turn 
the  conversation  upon  the  subject  which  was 
all  his  life,  the  comforting  words  which  he 
had  spoken  were  at  once  contradicted  by 
the  many  adventures  and  varied  anecdotes 
which  he  recalled.  No  peril  had  been  too 
great  for  him.  He  played  with  danger,  and 
looked  for  it.  Thus  it  happened  at  his  first 
fight,  after  having  been  wounded,  he  ex- 
posed himself  to  the  fire  of  the  enemy  with- 
out stopping  an  instant  to  fire  back.  He 
was  content  to  manoeuver  and  wait.  A  sec- 
ond baptism  of  fire,  voluntary,  terrible,  ad- 
mirable, which  had  but  one  purpose:  to  find 
again  the  mastery  for  the  great  fighter  of 
the  skies! 


CHAPTER  X 

GUYNEMER   PLAYS   A   NEW   GAME 

It  was  only  after  several  months  that  I 
saw  our  hero  again.  He  had  just  beaten 
down  his  eighteenth  official  adversary  and 
had  been  brought  down  by  the  cannon.  I 
had  to  recall  his  victories  to  refresh  his  mem- 
ory. His  recollections  were  all  confused,  he 
confounded  one  success  with  another.  Hap- 
pily, I  had  the  full  list  on  a  piece  of  paper. 
This  made  it  possible  for  me  to  secure  the 
desired  information,  and  was  well  worth  the 
compliments  with  which  the  Ace  repaid  me 
for  what  he  called  my  patience. 

"It  was  June  28th  before  I  began  to  add 
up  again.  I  was  cruising  around  with  Chai- 
nat,  when  we  met  a  French  reconnoitering 
and  photographing  division.     We  thought 

62 


GUYNEMER  PLAYS  A  NEW  GAME      63 

that  in  order  to  get  any  game  we  would  have 
to  fly  above  our  comrades.  The  photograph- 
ing aeroplane  is  always  prey  sought  for 
by  the  enemy.  We  climbed  up  above  4,500 
meters  and  waited.  Our  hopes  were  soon 
realized.  Two  L.  V.  G.'s  approached  and 
darted  forward.  They  had  not  seen  us. 
We  dived;  at  4,200  meters  we  were  upon 
them.  We  selected  one,  and  speedily  had 
it  tumbling  in  flames  on  our  territory  near 
Rosier es  en  Santerre.  I  had  taken  part  in 
three  fights  that  day.  On  the  next  day  I 
was  less  fortunate  and  came  back  with  sev- 
eral bullets  in  my  aeroplane  and  two  longi- 
tudinal spars  of  one  wing  broken. 

"To  discuss  all  of  my  combats  is  impos- 
sible; they  were  too  many.  Almost  every 
day  now  I  had  one.  However,  I  recollect 
that  I  was  brought  down  most  beautifully 
on  July  6th  and  this  incident  is  not  on  your 
list,  so  you  see  it  is  not  absolutely  complete. 
Does  that  bother  you? 


64      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"On  this  occasion  I  certainly  had  to  deal 
with  a  Boche  Ace.  He  succeeded  in  dam- 
aging my  propeller  and  cutting  two  of  my 
cables.  Much  against  my  will  I  had  to  with- 
draw. 

"Most  of  the  aerial  combats  to-day  take 
place  between  groups  of  five,  six,  seven,  ten 
aeroplanes.  The  enemy  has  adopted  hunt- 
ing tactics  which  are  dangerous.  We  can  no 
longer  laugh  at  him  and  say  that  if  we  rush 
to  attack  he  is  ready  to  run  away.  If  we 
miss  one,  and  he  pretends  to  run  away,  the 
others  are  there  to  cut  off  your  retreat. 
You  must  consider,  manoeuver  and  leave 
nothing  to  chance. 

"My  tenth  Boche  dates  July  16th.  Oh! 
he  was  as  easy  as  anything.  It  was  an 
L.  V.  G.  Heurtaux  and  I  had  attacked  him 
from  the  rear  and  had  sent  him  down  in 
flames,  crashing  to  earth  near  Barleux.  He 
landed  on  the  cabane!  This  demi-looping 
seems  not  to  have  been  tried  by  the  amateurs 


GUYNEMER  PLAYS  A  NEW  GAME     65 

of  Kultur.  On  the  28th  I  began  by  attack- 
ing a  group  of  four,  one  of  which  was 
brought  down,  certainly  because  I  fired  at 
him  at  close  quarters.  A  few  minutes  later 
I  met  another  squadron  of  four.  The  result 
was  far  less  satisfactory.  As  soon  as  they 
saw  me  the  Boches  fled  to  right  and  left. 
Only  one  could  be  pursued,  and  I  did  not 
miss  him,  sending  the  250  bullets  of  my 
Wickers  through  him.  But  at  the  last  shot 
a  blade  of  my  propeller  flew  into  the  air. 
My  motor  began  to  revolve  all  ways ;  I  was 
shaken  as  if  in  a  basket.  I  could  not  pay 
any  more  attention  to  my  adversary.  I  had 
to  content  myself  with  getting  back  as  well 
as  I  could:  volplaning,  I  would  land  at  the 
first  aerodrome  I  found. 

"My  'probably  downed'  foe  was  in  a  simi- 
lar condition,  for  he  had  fallen  in  sight  of 
the  English  trenches  and  the  observers  on 
the  ground  saw  to  his  end. 


66     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"At  last  I  reached  my  dozen  on  August 
3rd.  As  on  July  16th,  I  brought  down  my 
adversary  near  Barleux;  I  had  attacked  him 
while  accompanied  by  Heurtaux." 

"But  how  about  your  attack  on  the 
trenches  with  your  rapid-fire  gun  on  August 
7th?" 

"Ah,  yes,  that  was  a  new  game.  Very 
amusing!  Lieutenant  Heurtaux  and  I  had 
decided  to  try  it  so  as  to  prove  to  the  Poilus 
that  we  did  not  forget  them  and  that  we 
wished  to  take  part  in  the  dangers  which 
they  faced.  When  they  attacked  we  asked 
permission  to  collaborate  with  them.  Hav- 
ing spied  out  some  nests  of  machine  guns 
which  were  trying  to  mow  down  attacking 
ranks  of  assailants,  we  came  down,  almost 
to  the  ground,  and  began  firing  at  these  ob- 
jectives, as  well  as  upon  groups  of  men, 
batteries  and  trenches.  The  poor  troopers 
who  were  in  the  furnace  thought  no  more  of 


GUYNEMER  PLAYS  A  NEW  GAME     67 

their  own  danger,  but  shouted  to  us  in  their 
enthusiasm.  I  admit  that  this  testimony  of 
satisfaction  awarded  under  such  circum- 
stances made  us  quiver  with  joy." 


CHAPTER  XI 

CITATIONS   OF   VICTORY 


"My  succeeding  victories  were  rapid,  most 
happily,  for  I  had  to  compensate  for  sev- 
eral mishaps.  On  August  17th  I  downed  an 
Aviatik  with  three  shots.  That  was  my 
thirteenth.  On  the  18th  I  did  even  better: 
I  attacked  my  Boche  to  the  west  of  the 
woods  of  Madame,  between  Bouchavesnes 
and  Clery,  and  at  the  second  shot  he  fell  to 
pieces.  This  is  the  best  I  had  done :  brought 
down  two  aeroplanes  with  five  cartridges. 
Here  is  the  solution  of  the  high  cost  of  liv- 
ing.    We  must  economize !    We  must  econo- 

On  August  20th  I  came  up  with  a  Boche, 
but  was  not  able  to  get  him.  However,  I 
have  the  conviction  that  he  will  never  get  me. 

08 


mize! 


CITATIONS  OF  VICTORY  69 

On  the  next  day  I  attacked  two  aeroplanes 
at  point-blank  distance.  I  killed  one  passen- 
ger, but  I  could  not  see  the  end  because  I 
had  to  turn  upon  the  other  machine.  I  had 
made  a  mistake,  for  it  fled  at  once.  On  the 
same  day  I  killed  another  passenger.  All 
the  observers  of  this  sector  will  certainly 
want  to  pass  as  pilots.  At  last  came  a  fight 
which  was  not  so  favorable  for  me,  and  the 
L.  V.  G.  which  I  attacked  came  back  at  me 
with  full  force,  sending  a  bullet  through  my 
tank,  among  other  things.  One  ball  touched 
the  end  of  my  finger,  dying  there,  after  hav- 
ing passed  through  everything  else  in  its 
way.  It  was  a  great  borer.  I  admit  that 
it  worked  effectively.  I  asked  no  more,  but 
hastened  to  land  in  our  second  trenches. 

"I  took  my  revenge  on  September  4th: 
my  adversary  (the  fifteenth)  turned  a  com- 
plete somersault,  falling  near  our  lines.  On 
the  9th  I  did  for  two  which  were  not  counted 
for  me. 


70      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"As  to  my  latest,  it  was  on  September 
15th  that  I  brought  him  down.  He  was  the 
finest  and  fattest  of  a  group  of  six. 

"I  increased  my  altitude:  finding  that  my 
cruising  around  3,000  meters  was  fantastic. 
In  the  spring  of  this  year  I  passed  to  4,000, 
and  now  I  operated  at  5,000  or  higher.  In 
my  day's  wrork  of  the  15th  I  had  given  battle 
six  times  at  point-blank  distance.  The  one 
which  ended  successfully  gave  me  an  op- 
portunity of  seeing  my  adversary  go  all  to 
bits  in  space.  His  wings  buckled  up,  and 
then  broke  away  on  each  side,  and  the  rest, 
body  and  equipment,  ran  a  race  to  the  earth 
with  them.  That  was  my  second  battle  that 
day.  At  the  fifth  I  killed  the  passenger, 
and  would  not  have  given  much  for  the  pilot, 
but  the  aeroplane  seemed  to  be  under  con- 
trol when  it  reached  the  ground." 

Before  having  him  tell  me  all  about  that 
glorious  day,  September  23rd,  which  came 
near  ending  most  tragically  for  him,  let  us 


Brought  down  by  a  Boche,  but  within  the  French  lines. 
The  machine  alone  was  injured. 


CITATIONS  OF  VICTORY  71 

note  the  citations  which  Guynemer  earned 
by  these  various  victories : 

8th.  On  June  22nd  he  took  part  in  three 
aerial  combats :  in  the  course  of  one  of  these 
he  beat  down  a  German  aeroplane,  after  his 
apparatus  had  been  struck  by  enemy  pro- 
jectiles. 

9th.  On  July  16th,  1916,  he  brought 
down  his  tenth  enemy  aeroplane,  which  fell 
in  flames  in  the  enemy  lines. 

10th.  On  July  28th,  1916,  he  brought 
down  his  eleventh  enemy  aeroplane. 

11th.  On  August  3rd,  1916,  he  brought 
down  his  twelfth  enemy  aeroplane. 

12th.  On  the  17th  and  18th  of  August, 
1916,  he  brought  down  two  enemy  aero- 
planes in  front  of  the  French  trenches. 

13th.  On  the  4th  and  16th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1916,  he  brought  down  his  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  enemy  aeroplanes. 


CHAPTER  XII 

STRUCK  BY  A  SHELL  AT   3,000  METERS 

Here  is  what  is  reported  of  his  exploits 
of  September  23rd,  described  to  me  by  the 
Ace  of  Aces  on  the  second  day  thereafter: 

"14th.  On  September  23rd,  1916,  seeing 
a  group  of  three  enemy  aeroplanes  subjected 
to  the  fire  of  our  special  artillery,  he  gave 
them  battle  resolutely,  beating  down  two  of 
them  and  putting  the  other  to  flight.  At 
this  moment  he  received  the  full  force  of  a 
shell  upon  his  own  aeroplane,  and  only  by 
prodigies  of  skill  was  he  able  to  regain  our 
lines,  where  he  fell  over,  only  slightly 
wounded." 

It  is  impossible  to  give  the  least  idea  of 
the  good  humor  and  animation  with  which 
Guynemer  gave  me  all  the  details  of  this 

72 


STRUCK  BY  A  SHELL  73 

series  of  varied  feelings.  I  am  trying  to 
report  his  narrative  as  faithfully  as  possible, 
so  as  to  let  it  retain  his  characteristic  style 
as  nearly  as  may  be.  The  hero,  who  two 
days  before  had  almost  met  his  death  under 
horrible  conditions,  laughed  at  the  details  of 
the  trying  adventure,  and  found  amusing 
expressions  to  give  an  idea  of  the  situation 
in  which  he  found  himself.  No  one  would 
have  thought  for  a  moment  that  the  shadow 
of  death  had  lowered  so  deeply  over  his 
head. 

"For  the  sixth  time  I  was  brought  down, 
and  that  was  fame  indeed!  And  I  was 
thinking  what  our  poor  artillerists  would 
have  done  if  they  were  told  that  they  had 
just  killed  me!  I  had  to  ask  myself  again 
how  it  was  that  fate,  for  which  we  all  wait, 
but  for  which  I  do  not  look,  had  not  been 
reserved  for  me.     It  is  a  mystery  to  me. 

"The  day  had  begun  well.  It  could  not 
really  end  tragically.    At  the  very  moment 


74      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

when  I  least  expected  it  Providence  inter- 
vened, and  I  assure  you  that  if  I  were  not  a 
believer,  this  celestial  protection  would  have 
proved  it  to  me,  when  the  irreparable  seemed 
about  to  happen,  that  there  is  really  a  Su- 
perior Power  which  directs  our  acts  and 
makes  us  the  poor  puppets  which  it  compels 
to  do  its  will. 

"On  the  day  before  I  had  the  opportunity 
of  bringing  to  the  ground  a  Fokker,  which 
I  do  not  count  at  all,  for  it  was  too  far  over 
the  enemy  lines.  On  the  next  day,  Sep- 
tember 23rd,  I  started  to  make  my  rounds 
about  luncheon  time.  I  like  this  time  espe- 
cially because  the  Boche  thinks  that  we  are 
eating,  enjoying  our  coffee,  or  digesting 
our  meal  and  profits  by  these  two  or  three 
hours  to  try  incursions  over  our  lines. 

"I  did  not  have  to  wait  long  for  my  luck. 
I  soon  saw  one  of  my  companions  caught 
among  some  five  Bodies,  acting  along  their 
well  known  tactics,  three  in  line  above,  two 


STRUCK  BY  A  SHELL  75 

below.  I  left  the  Frenchman  to  deal  with 
the  latter,  and  went  straight  at  the  trio. 
At  11:20  I  sent  one  down  in  flames  towards 
Aches.  He  fell  so  suddenly,  so  brutally  that 
those  below  him  looked  at  one  another, 
thinking  that  it  must  be  one  of  them.  My 
comrade  also  even  thought  that  he  had 
triumphed.  As  for  me,  I  continued  my 
work.  Thirty  seconds  after  my  first  suc- 
cess I  succeeded  in  putting  out  of  commis- 
sion, absolutely  helpless,  a  second  Fokker: 
the  passenger  had  been  killed,  as  I  plainly 
saw,  and  as  for  the  pilot,  he  was  not  much 
better,  but  I  could  not  see  him.  He  fell 
near  Carrepuy. 

"There  was  now  onlv  one  in  front  of  me, 
and  he  fearfully  accepted  the  challenge. 
Poor  type  indeed!  At  11 :23,  after  only  two 
shots,  he  went  to  join  his  comrades,  blown 
up,  pulverized,  also  set  afire.  He  fell  not 
far  from  our  lines  about  300  meters,  near 
Roye." 


76     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

A  soft-boiled  egg  for  Guynemer!  Just 
put  an  egg  in  boiling  water  when  the  Ace  of 
Aces  begins  a  battle,  you  wait  until  he  has 
downed  three  Boches,  you  take  out  the  egg, 
it  is  done  to  a  turn.  What  a  triumph  for 
the  restaurant  menus! 

If  you  want  me  to  I  will  guarantee  that 
these  three  minutes  are  exact  by  the  clock. 
So  much  for  the  soft-boiled  egg  which  can 
be  scooped  up  in  a  spoon. 

"I  had  hardly  finished  my  third,  contem- 
plating the  immensity  of  the  azure  heavens 
from  my  3,000  feet,  which  I  had  cleared  so 
completely,  and  looking  to  see  if  there  were 
no  other  amateurs,  when  suddenly,  thirty 
seconds  later,  a  shell  struck  one  of  my  wings 
with  all  its  force.  The  left  wing  was  torn 
to  shreds.  My  aeroplane  seemed  mortally 
wounded.  The  canvas  floated  in  the  wind 
and  was  torn  to  shreds  as  we  fell.  My  ap- 
paratus fell,  broke  apart,  crumpled  up  in 
the  abyss,  unable  to  bear  me  any  longer.    I 


STRUCK  BY  A  SHELL  77 

really  felt  the  call  of  death  and  I  seemed 
to  be  hastening  towards  it.  It  seemed  that 
there  was  nothing  to  prevent  my  crashing 
to  the  earth.  My  Bodies  were  well  avenged. 
A  tail-spin,  terrible,  fearful,  began  at  3,000 
meters  and  continued  to  1,600  meters. 

"I  felt  as  if  I  were  indeed  lost,  and  all  that 
I  asked  of  Providence  was  that  I  should  not 
fall  in  enemy  territory.  Never  that!  They 
would  have  been  too  happy.  Can  you  think 
of  me  buried  with  my  victims?  But  I  was 
powerless  to  exert  my  will,  my  aeroplane 
refused  to  obey. 

"At  1,600  meters  I  tried  anyway.  The 
wind  had  driven  me  almost  over  our  lines. 
I  was  already  half  happy.  Now  I  dreamed 
of  being  interred  with  sympathetic  com- 
rades following  my  body.  That  was  not  a 
fine  dream,  but  at  least  it  was  better  than  the 
other. 

"I  had  no  longer  to  fear  the  pointed  hel- 
mets.   But  nevertheless  I  felt  all  that  death 


78      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

might  be,  and  it  was  not  a  pleasant  thought. 
The  fall  continued.  The  steering  gear  would 
not  respond  to  my  tugging.  Nothing 
worked.  I  tried  it  to  the  right,  to  the  left, 
pulling,  pushing,  but  got  no  result.  The 
comet  did  not  slow  a  bit,  I  was  drawn  in- 
vincibly towards  the  earth  where  I  was 
about  to  be  crushed. 

"There  it  was!  One  last  brutal  effort,  but 
in  vain.  I  closed  my  eyes,  I  saw  the  earth,  I 
was  plunging  towards  it  at  180  kilometers 
an  hour,  like  a  plummet.  A  terrible  crash- 
ing, a  great  noise,  I  looked  around:  there 
was  nothing  left  of  my  Spad. 

"How  did  it  happen  that  I  was  still  alive? 
I  asked  myself,  but  I  felt  that  it  was  so, 
and  that  was  enough.  However,  I  think 
that  it  was  the  straps  which  held  me  in  my 
seat  which  had  saved  me.  Without  them 
I  would  have  been  thrown  forward  or  would 
have  broken  some  bones.  On  the  contrary, 
they  were  dug  deep  into  my  shoulders,  a  si- 


9/i    - »    >£*»• 


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^. 


jUJ.    * ,A~.-— >  ~~~*  '" 


#•«•« 


«L 


Guynemer's  application  to  the  Minister  of  W ar  for  a  Pilots 
License,  endorsed  most  warmly  by  the  head  of 
his  Aviation  School. 


STRUCK  BY  A  SHELL  79 

lent  proof  doubtless  that  I  should  give  them 
full  consideration.  Yes,  truly,  had  it  not 
been  for  them,  on  thinking  it  over,  I  would 
certainly  be  dead  now. 

"It  is  infinitely  funny  when  you  recall 
those  instants  of  anguish,  lived  through  like 
a  nightmare.  All  day  yesterday  I  was 
utterly  stupefied.  A  curious  impression! 
But  see,  to-day  I  am  feeling  fine,  almost 
ready  to  begin  again! 

"Ah!  the  artillerists  who  had  hit  me,  what 
faces  they  made  when  I  landed  a  few  meters 
from  their  battery.  They  were  terribly  dis- 
tressed and  I  had  to  restore  their  morale. 
They  were  sure  they  had  killed  me.  Never- 
theless this  is  a  proof  that  our  anti-aerial 
guns  are  effective.  To  hit  a  Spad  at  3,000 
meters  is  precision  unknown  heretofore. 

"After  the  artillerists  came  the  infantry- 
men to  pick  up  the  pieces.  Seeing  that  they 
did  not  have  to  carry  me  in  a  litter,  they 
wanted  to  take  me  up  from  the  ground  and 


80      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

carry  me  in  triumph,  not  stopping  to  think 
about  my  knee  which  was  giving  me  consid- 
erable pain.  And  the  brave  poilus  ended  by 
marching  ahead  of  me,  singing  the  "Mar- 
seillaise" at  the  top  of  their  voices.  It  was  a 
moving  sight,  and  I  hardly  regretted  having 
been  brought  down  from  the  sky  so  roughly. 

"Notwithstanding  my  wound,  I  went  to 
view  the  remains  of  my  Boche  whom  I  had 
brought  down  first.  The  pilot  whom  I  had 
killed  had  on  his  body  a  card,  almost  burned 
up,  on  which  a  feminine  hand  had  written 
these  words:  'I  hope  that  you  will  bring 
back  many  victories.'  Poor  fellow,  after  all, 
even  if  he  was  a  Boche! 

"I  did  not  want  any  furlough,  but  my 
chief  insisted  that  I  rest  a  few  days.  He 
could  not  understand  that  I  felt  perfectly 
well  after  that  hard  knock,  and  I  leave  it  to 
you  to  judge.  Admit  that  48  hours  after 
that  bump  I  am  not  at  all  ill." 


CHAPTER  XIII 

A   LONG   CHASE 

Guynemer  left  us.  He  had  come  in  search 
of  one  of  his  friends,  Adjutant  Lemaitre,  to 
take  him  home  to  dinner,  after  which  they 
were  to  spend  a  few  days  with  his  family. 

In  the  first  week  in  October  he  took  his 
place  again  at  the  front.  Four  days  after- 
wards, on  the  9th,  he  brought  down  an  aero- 
plane over  Villers  Carbonnel,  but  could  not 
have  it  made  official.  On  the  next  day,  a 
similar  success,  similar  result.  On  the  20th 
he  killed  the  passengers  in  two  aeroplanes 
but  could  not  bring  the  machines  to  earth. 
And  on  November  3rd  another  Boche,  un- 
official. It  was  bad  luck  for  Guynemer,  but 
no  less  for  our  aviation  record,  for  the  prob- 
able victories  of  our  Ace  are  always  cer- 

81 


82      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

tain.  Very  many  more  of  our  enemies  were 
certainly  brought  down  than  he  could  reckon. 
It  mattered  little  to  him.  He  claimed  the 
right  to  add  to  his  list,  not  those  whom  he 
was  certain  he  had  destroyed,  but  only  those 
where  others  had  witnessed  his  exploit.  He 
was  a  good  sport  and  never  argued.  What 
did  he  care  about  one  Boche  more  or  less; 
he  knew  that  when  he  wanted  to  he  could  add 
to  his  list  at  will,  and  Guynemer's  will  was 
written  with  a  capital  W. 

An  instance  may  prove  this.  After  his 
prowess  of  September  23rd  some  jealous 
inefficient  fellows  tried  to  spread  the  rumor 
about  him  whom  they  envied,  but  whose 
glory  they  wished  to  dim.  According  to 
them  it  was  enough  for  Guynemer  to  say 
that  he  had  achieved  a  victory  for  it  to  be 
made  official,  without  any  discussion.  But 
we  have  just  seen,  on  the  one  hand,  how 
indifferent  the  Ace  was  about  successes 
which  he  had  the  right  to  claim,  and  on  the 


A  LONG  CHASE  83 

other  hand  the  strictness  of  the  authorities 
about  allowing  credit  to  him.  Guynemer 
certainly  was  a  phenomenon,  but  he  enjoyed 
no  special  favors.  His  chiefs  had  the  tact 
not  to  increase  his  list,  in  Richthofen  style, 
for  his  well-known  uprightness  and  prover- 
bial intrepidity  placed  him  above  any  such 
procedures. 

"My  victories,"  he  used  to  say,  "are  in- 
disputable and  I  would  not  accept  the  credit 
for  one  of  which  I  was  in  the  least  doubt.  I 
wish  every  one  would  do  the  same." 

With  all  of  his  youthful  fire  and  enthu- 
siasm Guynemer  pursued  with  hatred  those 
whom  he  thought  unworthy  of  their  rewards. 
He  would  have  liked  us  to  publish  their 
names  in  all  the  papers.  As  to  what  was 
said  about  him  he  always  used  the  same 
words:  "It's  all  the  same  to  me,  they  may 
say  what  they  please,  all  I  have  to  do  is 
bring  down  the  Boche,  that  is  the  essential 


84      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

thing,  and  those  who  do  not  believe  it  may 
come  and  see." 

On  November  10th  Guynemer  began  to 
add  some  more  items  to  his  record.  On  that 
very  day  he  achieved  a  double  stroke: 

"The  day  before  I  really  had  some  hard 
luck.  Three  times  up  in  the  air,  eight  fights, 
not  one  victory.  I  knew  very  well  that  I 
had  been  attacked  by  a  group  operating  with 
remarkable  celerity,  but  that  was  no  excuse 
for  accomplishing  nothing.  So  the  next  day 
I  decided  to  rip  up  something. 

"I  had  gone  a  long  way  over  the  enemy 
lines  when  I  saw  four  aeroplanes,  two  Al- 
batroses  and  two  Aviatiks,  the  hunting 
planes  to  protect  the  others  intent  upon  re- 
connoitering.  They  certainly  intended  tak- 
ing observations  along  our  front.  I  was 
4,000  meters  up.  I  hid  myself  in  the  clouds, 
turned  after  them,  tracking  them  down  like 
Sherlock  Holmes  on  a  trail ! 

"For  70  kilometers  I  continued  the  pur- 


A  LONG  CHASE  85 

suit!  It  seemed  a  long  time  to  me  and  I 
was  disturbed.  I  was  afraid  of  being  recog- 
nized, not  afraid  of  fighting  with  the  four 
adversaries,  for  that  was  what  I  wanted, 
but  I  was  afraid  of  being  obliged  to  land 
and  being  captured  alive  in  case  of  any  ac- 
cident to  my  machine.  I  did  not  want  to 
be  a  prisoner.  Death  is  the  risk  of  the  pro- 
fession, but  far  rather  that  than  captivity. 
I  listened  very  attentively  to  the  action  of 
my  motor,  as  a  mother  listens  to  the  breath- 
ing of  her  child,  when  it  is  not  very  well. 

"I  still  remained  in  the  wake  of  my  rivals. 
When  I  saw  that  at  last  they  were  nearing 
our  trenches,  where  they  were  about  to  com- 
mit indiscretions  which  I  should  prevent,  I 
rushed  at  the  group.  I  was  3,600  meters 
up. 

"The  first  which  I  attacked  fell  in  flames 
at  the  fifteenth  shot,  near  Nesles.  I  then 
continued  the  pursuit  and  a  few  instants 
later  pounced  upon  an  Albatros :  at  the  third 


86      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

shot  the  observer  was  killed,  and  then  it  was 
the  pilot's  turn.  Ten  shots  more  and  the 
machine  turned  over,  crumpled  up  and 
crashed  down  in  a  field  within  our  lines,  500 
meters  from  the  road  to  Amiens,  along  the 
M  or  court  ravine. 

"It  was  about  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
I  had  been  flying  five  hours  since  morning. 
Now  I  could  take  a  rest  and  I  went  to  pay 
my  respects  to  my  victims.  The  aeroplane 
was  a  two-seated  Albatros  with  a  220  horse- 
power Mercedes  motor.  This  motor  had 
dug  into  the  ground  two  meters  deep.  The 
pilot  was  lying  all  crushed  to  bits  under  the 
machine-gun.  In  the  center  of  his  skull  was 
a  small  red  hole.  Not  a  scratch  on  his  hands. 
We  raised  him  up,  and  his  arms  and  legs 
cracked  in  sinister  fashion,  all  disjointed. 
At  a  distance  of  50  meters  from  him  we 
found  the  Second-Lieutenant  Observer:  his 
contracted  hand  held  a  Browning. 

"I  picked  up  the  plate  of  the  machine  and 


A  LONG  CHASE  87 

took  the  pilot's  helmet,  pierced  by  a  single 
bullet." 

This  victory  earned  a  fifteenth  palm  on 
Guynemer's  War  Cross: 

"Always  as  eager  as  courageous,  on  No- 
vember 10th,  1916,  he  brought  down  his  19th 
and  20th  German  aeroplanes." 

This  was  the  third  double-stroke  made  by 
the  Ace  of  Aces.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  the  days  were  not  favorable  for  aviation 
now,  he  managed  to  add  three  more  victories 
to  the  list  during  the  month  of  November. 
As  was  his  habit,  he  went  looking  for  the 
Boche  in  the  air  at  the  luncheon  hour,  upon 
the  principle  that  at  this  time  the  enemy 
was  less  on  his  guard. 

On  the  16th  he  beat  down  the  twenty-first 
victim  at  1:40  P.  M.;  on  November  22nd 
another  doublet:  at  2:45  the  twenty-second 
fell  all  aflame  near  Saint  Christ,  and  fifteen 
minutes  later  the  twenty-third  fell  on  fire  in 


88      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

the  Faloy  region.  At  3 :10  a  third  was  dam- 
aged, but  it  was  not  official.  Guynemer  was 
pursued  by  bad  luck  for  his  second  "Triple" 
was  not  made  official,  any  more  than  the  one 
of  September  23rd. 

Now,  naturally  the  sixteenth  citation, 
which,  however,  makes  an  error  in  the  cham- 
pion's count,  one  of  the  two  Bodies  of  No- 
vember 22nd  being  made  official  only  as  a 
sequel : 

"Fighting  ever  with  the  same  fine  courage 
against  enemy  aeroplanes,  he  brought  down 
on  November  16th  and  22nd  his  twenty-first 
and  twenty-second  German  planes,  both  fall- 
ing on  fire." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

GUYNEMER  CELEBRATES  HIS  BIRTHDAY  WITH 

A   BOCHE 

The  series  continues.  I  did  not  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  Guynemer  for  several 
weeks,  having  to  be  satisfied  with  the  news 
which  came  to  me  from  the  squadron.  More- 
over all  this  series  of  victims  has,  so  to  say, 
no  history.  Guynemer  generally  rose  at  a 
group,  picked  out  the  one  which  was  most 
favorably  situated  for  his  purpose,  fired  a 
few  shots,  and  had  nothing  more  to  do  than 
to  watch  this  Boche  fall,  while  the  others 
fled.  On  December  26th,  to  celebrate  his 
twenty-second  birthday,  he  brought  down  his 
twenty-fourth  at  9:45,  making  him  fall  500 
meters  east  of  Misery;  the  next  day  at  11 :45 
he  dropped  his  twenty-fifth  near  La  Maison- 
nette. 

89 


90      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

He  went  to  Paris  for  a  few  days  to  try 
to  carry  out  a  plan  which  he  had  cherished 
for  a  long  time. 

The  report  of  his  death  was  circulated  at 
this  time.  According  to  well  informed  per- 
sons he  had  been  the  victim  of  a  jealous 
husband  of  the  Place  Pigalle.  They  did  not 
say  when  it  happened.  And  there  were  some 
who  believed  these  absurdities,  born  at  regu- 
lar intervals  in  the  brains  of  astonished  idlers 
because  they  did  not  see  the  idol  of  all  the 
French  people  mentioned  in  the  official  an- 
nouncements for  a  few  days.  So  as  to  seem 
to  know,  they  said  any  old  thing,  but  they 
must  have  known  the  Ace  very  poorly  to 
suggest  such  an  end  for  him. 

Guynemer  proved  his  resurrection  by  an 
admirable  series  running  up  to  the  end  of 
January:  in  four  days  he  gained  five  vic- 
tories, although  the  days  were  very  short 
and  extremely  cold,  and  the  atmospheric 
conditions  were  most  unfavorable. 


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A  page  from   Guynemer's  note-hook  of  flight,  tuhicfi  records 
his  first  victory,  July  ,l9t  7975. 


La  Sixieme  Victoire. 


GUYNEMER  CELEBRATES  91 

Before  giving  the  account  of  these  con- 
tests, here  are  the  series  of  citations: 

"18th.  This  brilliant  hunting  pilot,  on 
December  26th  and  27th,  brought  down  his 
twenty-fifth  and  twenty-sixth  enemy  aero- 
planes. (The  text  of  the  seventeenth  cita- 
tion is  lacking. ) 

:'19th.  This  brilliant  hunting  pilot,  on 
January  23rd  and  24th,  brought  down  his 
twenty-seventh  and  twenty-eighth  enemy 
aeroplanes. 

"20th.  This  brilliant  hunting  pilot,  on 
January  25th  and  26th,  brought  down  his 
twenty-ninth  and  thirtieth  enemy  aero- 
planes." 

When  Guynemer  came  to  see  us  he  was 
telling  the  story  of  those  three  glorious  days 
to  Captain  G.,  the  eminent  technician  on 
shooting,  whom  the  Ace  held  in  high  estima- 
tion, and  to  me: 

"I  felt  in  fine  trim  to  go  after  a  Boche  and 


92     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

wanted  to  try  and  demonstrate  that  even  in 
Winter,  if  we  want  to,  we  can  add  to  the 
list.  For  there  are  quite  a  number  of  per- 
sons who  state  that  Winter  is  not  propitious 
for  aviation  and  they  take  advantage  of  it 
by  not  flying.  You  know  that  phrase  cir- 
culated in  some  places:  'Bad  weather  for 
aviation,  but  what  fine  weather  for  aviators !' 
Well,  that  is  not  true  at  all.  If  we  really 
want  to  do  so,  we  can  work  just  as  well  in 
Winter.  It  is  not  because  the  days  are  short 
that  we  do  not  perform  the  missions  ordered. 
It  is  stupidity  of  conception.  But  to  prove 
it  we  must  not  be  satisfied  with  talking  about 
it,  we  must  bring  down  a  Boche.  This  is 
what  I  tried  and  I  am  happy  to  have  suc- 
ceeded, for  now  those  who  continue  to  as- 
sert the  opposite  had  better  admit  plainly 
that  they  have  collapsed. 

"And  really  my  five  victories  were  not  so 
difficult  to  win  as  might  have  been  supposed. 
Besides,  I  might  add  that  it  was  only  an 


GUYNEMER  CELEBRATES  93 

embarrassment  of  choice,  which  shows  that 
the  moment  the  Boches  find  it  to  be  a  good 
time  to  fly,  we  ought  to  have  the  same  opin- 
ion and  act  upon  it. 

"On  the  23rd  I  found  no  difficulty  in 
beating  down  in  40  minutes  an  aeroplane 
near  the  railway  station  of  Chaulnes,  at 
10:50,  and  another  in  the  Maurepas  region 
at  11:30".    Everything  was  very  easy. 

"On  the  24th  I  was  at  work  in  the  morn- 
ing again.  I  started  fighting  with  a  group 
of  five  single-seaters  which  were  2,400 
meters  high.  I  was  much  higher  and  came 
down  as  fast  as  I  could  to  disturb  their 
peace.  I  placed  myself  in  a  position  in 
which  they  could  not  fire  back  at  me,  as 
nearly  as  I  could,  but  I  did  not  succeed  per- 
fectly, for  they  cut  one  of  my  bracing  wires. 
We  went  down,  firing  at  one  another  until 
we  were  about  400  meters  above  Roye.  At 
the  very  moment  when  I  was  in  a  fine  posi- 
tion to  get  this  victim,  my  motor  stopped. 


94      GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

By  the  time  I  had  it  going  again  the  Boche 
was  far  away.  A  few  instants  later,  a  sim- 
ilar meeting,  same  stoppage,  but  I  had  had 
the  time  to  fire  and  did  not  care  if  my  motor 
did  'lav  down'  on  me.  I  could  not  follow 
my  adversary  in  his  fall,  I  was  so  busy  with 
my  machine.  He  seemed  to  me  to  have  lost 
control  entirely,  although  I  did  not  think 
that  he  was  beaten  down." 

"But  the  prisoners  of  my  thirtieth,  of 
January  26th,  helped  to  make  official  this 
victory:  they  told  us  that  the  Boche,  falling 
near  Etelfay  at  Conencourt,  had  struck  the 
ground  with  the  observer  killed  and  the  pilot 
so  severely  wounded  that  they  had  to  am- 
putate a  leg.  It  was  really  luck,  and  I  admit 
that  I  had  no  regrets  at  having  left  him 
alive,  even  though  he  was  a  Boche. 

"To  come  back  to  January  24th.  After 
getting  my  motor  to  work  normally,  or 
nearly  so,  I  suddenly  saw  some  characteris- 
tic puffs  not  far  from  me.    It  was  our  can- 


GUYNEMER  CELEBRATES  95 

non  which  were  firing  at  a  Bumpier  with 
two  machine  guns.  The  fight  did  not  last 
long:  the  Boche  fell  within  our  lines  at  L  ig- 
nores at  11:50.  The  pilot  had  a  bullet  in 
one  lung,  the  passenger  another  in  one  knee. 
But  the  tanks  were  pierced  and  afire,  caus- 
ing the  loss  of  my  adversaries. 

4 'The  second  day  afterwards,  my  aero- 
plane having  a  wheel  broken  on  account  of 
the  frost  and  having  been  damaged  in  other 
ways,  I  took  flight  on  a  comrade's  Spad.  In- 
action worried  me  and  the  wait  for  my  'taxi' 
seemed  to  be  indefinitely  prolonged. 

"And  this  flight  was  one  of  the  most  happy 
of  all  my  career.  In  any  case,  it  proves,  my 
dear  Captain,"  Guynemer  added,  address- 
ing Captain  G.,  "that  it  is  better  to  work 
with  your  head  than  with  the  most  highly 
perfected  machine  gun.  It  is  true  that  I 
prefer  to  use  both !  But  I  had  only  the  for- 
mer, and  I  had  to  be  content  with  it,  did  I 
not?" 


CHAPTER  XV 

A   BATTLE   WITHOUT   A   GUN 

"It  was  noon.  An  enemy  aeroplane  soar- 
ing at  3,800  meters.  I  climbed,  and  climbed 
until  I  was  above  him.  He  commenced  to 
attack,  and  I  fired  back.  Ten  shots  and 
my  weapon  failed.  I  could  do  nothing  to 
get  it  to  work  again.  What  was  I  to  do? 
Was  I  simply  to  leave?  That  would  have 
been  most  annoying,  for  he  was  a  fine  bird. 
Or  should  I  go  ahead?  Possibly,  but  how? 
I  had  ammunition  but  nothing  with  which 
to  fire  it.  So  much  the  worse!  A  rather 
foolish  idea  ran  through  my  brain.  I  was 
going  to  try  to  get  him  at  a  disadvantage, 
while  avoiding  his  fire  as  much  as  possible, 
for  I  assure  you  that  his  gun  was  still  in 
good  working  order. 

9G 


A  BATTLE  WITHOUT  A  GUN         97 

"We  came  down  to  less  than  2,000  meters. 
I  followed  him  unceasingly,  trying  not  to  let 
him  know  my  inferiority  in  weapons.  I  shot 
upward  and  dived  down  at  him,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  descend.  I  put  myself  some  ten 
meters  behind  him.  His  passenger  could  not 
fire  at  me,  but  he  pretended  to  be  about  to 
shoulder  me  aside,  when  I  came  up  on  either 
side.  Soon  I  began  the  same  manoeuvers 
over  again,  and  he  quietly  allowed  me  to  do 
it.  How  would  it  end?  We  were  traveling 
rapidly  towards  the  French  lines,  and  did 
not  stop  coming  closer  to  the  ground.  We 
were  only  a  few  meters  away.  No,  he  will 
never  consent!  It  is  impossible!  But  yes, 
there  can  be  no  mistake.  My  Boche  is  go- 
ing to  our  place.  He  was  afraid  and  landed 
in  our  lines.    He  surrendered! 

"What  a  joy!  I  had  won  my  thirteenth 
victory  by  a  bluff.  It  was  a  double  victory, 
for  through  him  I  was  able  to  confirm  my 
victory  of  the  morning.    There  was  but  one 


98     GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

shadow  on  the  picture,  he  had  found  time  to 
set  fire  to  his  machine  before  it  was  cap- 
tured. He  admitted  to  us  that  he  belonged 
to  Squadron  A,  226,  made  up  of  Albatros 
machines. 

"We  had  begun  our  aerial  jousting  above 
Mouchy  and  it  was  between  Montdidier  and 
Compiegne  that  my  victims  had  alighted,  not 
far  from  the  villa  where  my  parents  lived. 

"I  admit,  when  I  told  my  prisoners  that 
I  could  not  have  done  anything  to  hurt 
them,  and  that  they  really  had  me  at  their 
mercy,  the  expression  on  their  faces  amused 
us  immensely.  My  first  shots  were  so  effec- 
tive that  they  were  not  anxious  for  any  more. 
Yes,  but  the  others  could  not  get  to  them." 

I  have  seldom  seen  Guynemer  so  happy  as 
when  he  told  of  this  fight,  which,  more  than 
anything  else,  proved  his  complete  mastery, 
his  science  of  air- work,  his  bravery,  delibera- 
tion and  implacable  determination. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  OUTRAGES  AT  NANCY 

The  youthful  pilot  Rene  Altmayer,  who 
fell  for  France  and  had  become  noted 
through  his  articles  signed  "Fortunio,"  sent 
me  what  he  called  a  Winged  Prose  Poem: 
"The  Avenging  Storks,"  from  which  I  make 
these  extracts : 

"I  want  the  reader  to  know,  how, 
after  clearing  the  skies  of  the  Somme, 
Guynemer  and  his  valiant  companions 
purified  the  heavens  so  continuously 
outraged  over  Nancy. 

"It  was  one  calamity  among  many. 
It  seemed  as  if  fate  were  against  the 
unhappy  city  of  Lorraine. 

"The  black  birds — ever  the  black 
birds ! 

99 


100   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"Every  day  we  had  to  record  the 
death  of  workmen,  fallen  upon  a  real 
field  of  honor,  at  the  anvil  or  the  lathe, 
the  death  of  innocent  women  and  chil- 
dren. 

"  'For  three  years  now — said  an  old 
inhabitant  of  Nancy — women  and  girls 
have  been  assassinated  by  German 
bombs — we  live  in  a  nightmare  every 
instant.' 

"Every  day,  over  the  crests  of  the 
surrounding  hills,  all  buried  in  mist, 
the  city  has  seen  with  horror  the  ap- 
proach of  the  two  horsemen  of  the 
Apocalypse  of  Saint  John:  War  and 
Death,  perched  upon  their  gigantic  and 
sinister  mounts. 

"This  menacing  apparition  lasting  a 
little  while,  is  blotted  out  by  a  cloud,  as 
of  blood — the  two  scourges  fleeing  to- 
wards other  accursed  places,  or  to  curse 
them. 


THE  OUTRAGES  AT  NANCY        101 

"The  light  of  the  sun  itself  seems  less 
brilliant  and  its  rays  are  less  warm.  An 
inexplicable  uneasiness  weighs  upon 
man  and  beast  and  all  living  things. 
The  leaves  of  the  trees  rustle  no  more, 
stopped  by  some  higher  power.  In  the 
fields  the  birds  cease  their  songs  and  hide 
in  the  thickest  foliage.  All  is  dumb. 
The  oppression  becomes  more  and  more 
heavy.  In  the  broad  meadows  the  red 
and  #rhite  cattle  look  restlessly  at  the 
horizon  and  then  lie  down,  stretching 
out  their  long  necks  in  fear  amid  the 
damp  grass. 

"This  strange  calmness,  this  impres- 
sive silence  are  but  the  advance  signs  of 
the  daily  stormy  tempest,  of  the  cat- 
aclysm which  at  the  Equinox  in  hot 
countries,  ruins  in  a  few  instants  the 
luxurious  crops  of  the  rich  earth  and 
transforms  into  debris  the  picturesque 
homes  of  the  colonists  and  natives. 


102   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"Sadness  fills  the  towns  and  country. 
The  workmen  continue  their  arduous 
labors,  with  painful  apprehension  in 
their  souls.  The  few  stragglers  flee  to 
shelter.  From  all  sides  the  sweet-toned 
bells,  in  their  high  belfries,  still  stand- 
ing as  if  in  supreme  defiance,  sending  a 
sinister  knell,  painful,  heavy,  fateful, 
over  the  city  like  a  voice  of  agony. 

"It  seems  to  say  in  its  raucous  lan- 
guage : 

"  'Brave  people,  take  care,  danger 
threatens.' 

"And  now  very  soon,  on  the  distant 
horizon,  over  the  edge  of  the  clouds, 
which  become  dark,  appear  little  black 
specks  which  move  with  strange  ra- 
pidity. They  approach  the  city,  increas- 
ing quickly  in  size  accompanied  by  a 
deep  humming,  filled  with  menace  and 
hate. 

"A  sorrowful  cry  passes  speedily,  ter- 


Photo  by  Underwood  &  Underwood. 
Still  the  hero  of  all  France. 


THE  OUTRAGES  AT  NANCY        103 

rifyingly,  over  the  city:  'The  black 
birds!  The  black  birds!' 

"There  they  are,  in  great  numbers, 
spreading  their  shadows  over  the  earth 
from  sinister  wings. 

" There  are  slow  vultures,  enormous, 
bearing  death.  About  them  cleave  the 
rapid  hawks,  with  pointed  wings  and 
sharp  beaks  ready  for  the  fight. 

"From  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  their 
nests  hidden  under  large  trees,  white 
pigeons  hasten  forth  to  pursue  the  sav- 
age horde.  A  superb  flight  of  courage 
and  audacity,  generous  thrusts,  filled 
with  useless  heroism,  alas!  too  often. 
Their  poor  wings,  ill  adapted  for  the 
race,  do  not  help  them  to  rise  with  suf- 
ficient rapidity.  Their  beaks,  formed 
for  other  work  than  battle,  do  not  serve 
them  at  the  required  moment.  Never- 
theless, they  ascend  and  throw  them- 


104    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

selves  upon  the  invaders,  who  hastily 
sow  death  beneath  them. 

"In  the  wide  spaces  there  are  tragic 
struggles.  The  powerful  ranks  of  vul- 
tures and  hawks  ferociously  crunch  the 
bodies  of  the  poor  pigeons.  Their 
sharp  beaks  dig  into  the  flesh  with  a 
terrible  grating  of  teeth,  their  claws 
tear  them  apart.  Sometimes,  the 
French  bird,  with  bloody  plumage  and 
broken  wings,  falls  gloriously  upon  the 
sacred  soil  which  it  had  come  to  de- 
fend. 

"Over  the  city  each  vulture  had  se- 
lected the  place  for  which  its  savage  in- 
stinct had  a  preference.  One  soared 
over  a  church.  Another  over  a  school 
where  innocent  little  children,  gay  as 
larks,  were  learning  to  hate  Germany! 

"With  a  guttural  cry  of  gratified  rage 
the  black  band  disappeared  on  fleeting 


THE  OUTRAGES  AT  NANCY        105 

wings,  harassed  by  the  courageous 
pigeons. 

"On  the  following  night  they  came 
again,  hiding  their  somber  plumage  in 
the  deepest  shadows. 

"This  series  of  misfortunes  had  to  be 
stopped.  But  what  was  the  power  that 
could  put  an  end  to  these  assassina- 
tions? 

V  71?  yf>  I* 

"However,  on  a  certain  day  the  city 
had  the  air  of  a  feast  day,  though  no 
one  could  tell  why  all  faces  smiled.  The 
habitual  gravity  had  given  way  to  a 
serene  tranquillity.  Hearts  were  light. 
A  new  life  seemed  to  have  been  born. 

"Upon  what  did  this  sudden  meta- 
morphosis rest?  The  rigors  of  a  hard 
winter  had  not  stopped  the  bloody  in- 
cursions of  the  black  birds.  On  the  con- 
trarv,  the  cold  seemed  to  have  made 

ml    *  

them  even  more  savage  and  greedy. 


106   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"Notwithstanding,  this  city  in  Lor- 
raine, so  long  plunged  in  sorrowful 
apathy,  suddenly  awakened.  Was  the 
nightmare  about  to  cease? 

"The  explanation  of  these  strange 
events  came  one  day  in  January.  Snow 
covered  the  country,  shining  in  all  its 
resplendent  whiteness  under  the  pale 
rays  of  a  Winter  sun.  Suddenly, 
throughout  the  city,  what  strange 
sounds  were  heard: 

"The  Storks!    The  Storks!' 

"Then  they  appeared  upon  the  hori- 
zon, a  bright  line  advancing  rapidly. 
They  were  soaring  at  a  great  height. 
They  count  a  dozen.  On  long,  slender 
wings  they  come  slowly  down  and  land 
upon  a  broad  field,  back  of  a  great 
woods  which  surround  the  city. 

"The  joyful  inhabitants  shout  enthu- 
siastically. The  nightmare  would  now 
soon  be  over.    These  glorious  birds,  who 


THE  OUTRAGES  AT  NANCY        107 

avenge  and  clear  the  heavens,  were 
ready  for  battle,  now  on  equal  terms, 
in  which  their  skill  and  their  valor  would 
triumph  over  the  ferocious  robbers. 

"On  the  very  morrow  the  fray  in  the 
heavens  begins.  On  that  very  day  the 
two  sinister  riders  of  the  Apocalypse 
did  not  appear.  The  winter  birds  sang 
over  the  plowed  fields.  The  sun  became 
warmer,  its  light  brighter.  Then  the 
unknowing  robbers  came  as  was  their 
habit.  This  calm  quiet  seemed  to  make 
them  hesitate,  as  if  suspecting  a  danger 
which  they  did  not  know.  Some,  boldly 
came  closer.  That  was  the  signal  for 
the  hecatomb. 

"From  the  skies  where  they  had  kept 
themselves  invisible,  the  storks  plunged 
downward,  and  in  powerful  flight,  mag- 
nificently beautiful,  they  pounced  upon 
the  black  birds,  all  surprised  and 
stunned.     The  long  beaks  of  the  aveng- 


108   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

ing  birds  would  soon  pierce  the  hearts 
of  the  rapid  hawks  or  huge  vultures. 
All  of  them  were  not  to  return  home. 
Some  of  them,  slashed  to  bits,  were  to 
redden  the  snow.  As  soon  as  they  were 
lifted  up  they  were  nailed  in  the  pil- 
lory in  the  principal  square  of  the  vil- 
lage. 

"For  several  days  the  savages  did  not 
come  back.  The  Storks  went  after 
them,  to  attack  them  in  their  own  nests 
and  vengeance  was  exacted  implacably. 
'Eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth !' 

"The  number  of  victims  increased. 
The  purging  was  quickly  done.  For  a 
long  time  the  city  saw  no  more  black 
birds,  except  those  which,  after  being 
conquered,  stretched  their  remains  on 
the  square  in  exhibition.  The  bad 
dream  was  over.  The  lesson  had  been 
as  deserved. 

"Several  of  the  Storks  in  the  course 


THE  OUTRAGES  AT  NANCY        109 

of  these  combats  distinguished  them- 
selves particularly.  One  of  them,  al- 
ready celebrated  in  the  bird-world  and 
on  earth,  was  named  Guynemer.  He 
was  young  and  had  not  yet  grown  the 
plumage  of  the  adult  bird,  but  on  the 
left  side  of  his  white  garb  there  were 
many  colors — red,  yellow,  green — the 
emblem  of  the  glorious  heroism  of  this 
splendid  bird,  who  with  pitiless  beak 
had  already  brought  to  earth  many  of 
those  black  birds." 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A   FIRST   TRIPLE 

If  at  the  moment  of  the  Verdun  attack 
the  East  had  been  unfortunate  for  the  Ace 
of  Aces,  on  the  contrary  Nancy  was  to  be 
worth  an  entire  series  of  successes,  one  of 
which  was  an  official  triple  (felling  three 
aeroplanes  in  one  day) .  Nungesser  was  the 
only  other  man  up  to  that  time  who  had 
achieved  a  similar  exploit,  triumphing  over 
an  airship  and  two  aeroplanes  on  September 
26th,  1916.  Guynemer,  the  hero  of  "Dou- 
bles," did  even  better,  bringing  down  four 
enemies  within  ten  hours! 

He  began  his  avenging  patrols  on  Feb- 
ruary 7th  at  11:20,  over  the  forest  of  Be- 
zange,  bringing  down  one  adversary,  com- 
pletely disabled.     This  was  merely  to  get 

no 


A  FIRST  TRIPLE  111 

the  Lorraine  sky  well  in  hand,  we  might 
say;  for  this  semi-success  does  not  count. 
To-morrow  the  Ace  will  do  better! 

On  this  day  the  flight  was  a  difficult  one. 
Guynemer  told  me  about  it  at  the  same  time 
that  he  was  telling  of  subsequent  victories: 

"I  had  left  on  February  8th,  cruising  with 
my  comrade  Chainat.  Of  course  the  Bodies, 
who  still  thought  themselves  secure,  did  not 
hesitate  to  try  an  incursion  over  Nancy.  But 
we  opened  their  eyes. 

"Suddenly  we  saw  a  tremendous  machine, 
equipped  with  two  Mercedes  motors  of  220 
horse-power,  carrying  three  men,  scattering 
fire  and  bullets  on  all  sides.  It  was  a  Gotha, 
an  aeroplane  little  known  at  the  time,  and 
very  formidable.  Neither  one  of  us  hesi- 
tated for  an  instant,  but  each  attacked  it 
from  opposite  sides.  I  felt  easy  with  Chai- 
nat, for  he  is  cool,  brave,  resourceful  and 
deliberate.  We  soon  ascertained  that  these 
machines  have  considerable  dead  angles  of 


112   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

fire.  In  fact,  we  would  have  had  to  be  very 
stupid  not  to  see  the  points  at  which  the 
bullets  fired  so  profusely  could  not  reach  us. 
We  fired  entire  belts  of  cartridges  while 
avoiding  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  forced 
the  aerobus,  whose  radiator  we  had  smashed, 
to  land  in  our  lines  at  Bouconville,  where 
the  three  passengers  were  made  prisoners. 
The  apparatus  had  been  struck  by  180 
bullets!" 

On  the  day  afterwards  Guynemer  prob- 
ably beat  down  an  aeroplane  at  11:15  near 
Nomeny,  for  this  was  the  famous  day,  March 
16th.  And  as  is  the  case  in  the  greatest 
achievements,  the  purely  anecdotic  side  of 
this  triple  is  rather  weak.  In  a  few  words 
the  hero  told  me  about  it: 

"Two  in  the  morning  in  twenty-two  min- 
utes, one  in  the  afternoon.  The  chief  point 
of  interest  in  the  story  is  that  all  three  fell 
within  our  lines  and  that  one  of  the  Bodies 


Piece  of  the  canvas  from  one  of  Guynemer's  wings,  pierced 

by  a  Boche  bullet  June  7,  1917,  signed  by  him 

and  given  to  Captain  Lasies. 


A  FIRST  TRIPLE  113 

was    a   well-known   Ace,    Lieutenant   von 
Hausen,  the  nephew  of  a  general. 

"I  brought  down  the  first  one  in  flames, 
a  two-seated  Albatros,  at  9:08.  He  fell  on 
the  Foucrey  farm,  near  the  village  of  Serres. 
The  machine  was  a  cinder.  At  9:30,  after 
fighting  against  three  single-seated  hunting 
planes,  with  Deullin,  I  was  again  fortunate, 
bringing  one  to  earth  north  of  Hoeville,  the 
Rumpler  driven  by  von  Hausen.  Finally 
at  2:30  my  thirty- fourth  victim  fell  to  the 
earth  in  flames  at  Regnieville  en  Haye. 
This  was  another  two-seater.  Five  Boches 
were  thus  withdrawn  from  circulation,  two 
Albatroses  and  a  Rumpler,  which  the  King 
of  Prussia  no  longer  owned." 

Promoted  to  a  captaincy,  Guynemer 
brought  down  his  thirty-fifth  in  flames  on 
March  17th,  over  the  lines  between  Attillon- 
court  and  Attancourt.  A  few  shots  had  been 
enough  to  send  this  somber  Boche  into  noth- 
ingness. 


114    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

And  an  admirable,  unique  citation  thanked 
the  pilot  in  these  words: 

"On  February  8th,  March  16  and  17, 
1917,  he  has  brought  down  five  enemy  aero- 
planes within  our  lines." 

Only  one  palm  for  five  enemies  fallen 
within  our  lines  in  five  weeks.  Only  a  Guy- 
nemer  could  secure  no  more  recognition! 

The  Aisne  section  was  to  have  need  of  our 
best  pilots  and  the  Storks  were  the  first 
called.  It  was  for  an  offensive  and  they 
were  to  put  out  the  eyes  of  the  enemy.  Our 
Boche-hunters  were  to  have  work  and  glory 
enough. 

Guynemer  was  hurrying  the  completion  of 
his  new  aeroplane,  built  upon  lines  which 
would  revolutionize  hunting  aviation.  After 
a  couple  of  trials  he  went  to  the  front,  went 
up  in  the  air,  beat  down  what  he  found  and 
returned.     Thus  it  was  that  on  April  13th 


A  FIRST  TRIPLE  115 

he  beat  down  a  machine,  and  the  second  day 
afterwards  he  began  again,  but  only  the 
latter  is  counted  for  him,  notwithstanding 
the  certainty  that  the  other  was  destroyed. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

VENGEANCE   IS   STRONGER   THAN   DEATH 

An  official  announcement  of  May  8th 
speaks  thus  laconically  about  the  Giant  of 
Space: 

"Captain  Guynemer  has  beaten  down  his 
thirty-seventh  and  thirty-eighth  adversa- 
nes. 

The  latter  was  especially  difficult. 

"That  cursed  thirty-eighth,"  said  Guyne- 
mer, "was  one  who  certainly  brought  me  a 
few  sensations.  I  had  attacked  and  thought 
that  I  had  beaten  him  without  difficulty,  for 
I  saw  him  going  downward  out  of  control. 
The  pilot  had  been  killed  by  the  first  shots, 
for  I  plainly  saw  his  head  fall  over  in  the 
fuselage.     Everything  was  going  well  and 

116 


VENGEANCE  117 

I  followed  the  flight  chiefly  to  locate  the  spot 
where  he  was  about  to  crash  to  earth. 

"I  paid  no  attention  whatsoever  to  what 
was  going  on  aboard.  To  me  that  Boche 
was  listed,  catalogued,  numbered — dead. 

"Yes,  but  we  do  not  think  of  everything. 
Suddenly  a  hail  of  bullets  swept  around  my 
Spad.  That  was  coming  it  strong!  I  was 
showered  on  all  sides,  and  it  is  a  miracle  that 
I  was  not  wounded,  or  killed  outright.  A 
man  has  to  watch  everything  in  this  pro- 
fession. I  looked  and  saw  the  observer,  who 
was  trying  to  deliver  a  second  round.  His 
aeroplane  was  falling  through  space,  his 
pilot  was  dead,  but  he  would  avenge  him- 
self. And  I  must  admit  that  this  attempt 
was  very  fine;  knowing  that  in  a  few  in- 
stants he  would  be  nothing  more  than  a  mass 
of  mangled  flesh  and  bones  crushed  to  the 
earth,  he  was  trying  his  best  to  take  with 
him  the  one  who  had  brought  about  his 
death.     Yes,  it  was  magnificent,  but  after 


118    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

all  did  not  this  Boche  consider  that  his  pilot 
was  no  more,  and  was  he  thinking  of  some 
manoeuver?  I  think,  weighing  the  mental- 
ity of  the  enemy,  that  this  hypothesis  was  a 
closer  approach  to  the  normal. 

"Nevertheless,  I  shall  always  remember 
that  adversary  standing  up  tragically  in  the 
fuselage  and  sending  a  fire  at  me  that  was 
indeed  direct.  Several  important  parts  of 
my  machine  were  struck,  but  happily  with- 
out any  serious  consequences. 

"Notwithstanding  everything,  I  may  be 
wrong  in  passing  a  rash  judgment  upon  the 
observer.  It  would  have  been  so  noble,  if 
true,  had  he  utilized  the  last  seconds  of  his 
life  in  trying  to  bring  me  down.  ' Ave  Csesar 
morituri  te  salutant'  (the  ancient  salutation 
of  the  gladiators  in  the  Roman  circus)  would 
in  this  case  have  to  read:  ' Adieu,  Guyne- 
mer,  he  who  is  about  to  die,  kills  you.'  Some 
others,  but  Frenchmen,  have  done  so.  You 
remember  that  case  of  the  tragedy  which 


VENGEANCE  119 

you  have  related  about  Lieutenant  FlocK 
and  Sergeant  Rhode  coming  down  all  afire 
and  how  they  turned  and  charged  directly 
at  the  Fokker  which  had  beaten  them,  lock- 
ing themselves  into  it,  and  that  they  thus 
took  it  with  them  to  destruction  in  the  midst 
of  spouting  flames.  They  were  young  in- 
deed, but  we  can  only  bow  before  brave  boys 
of  such  temper." 

New  citation:  "Incomparable  hunting 
pilot:  April  14th,  May  2nd  and  May  4th, 
1917,  he  has  beaten  down  his  thirty-sixth, 
thirty-seventh  and  thirty-eighth  enemy  aero- 
planes." 

And  now  we  come  to  the  most  glorious 
day  of  all,  if  in  this  debauch  of  heroism  one 
of  them  could  prove  more  glorious  than  the 
others. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE    MAGIC    QUADRUPLE 

It  was  on  May  25th,  1917,  that  Guyne- 
mer  succeeded  in  defeating  four  aeroplanes, 
one  of  these  in  one  minute.  The  official 
documents  read: 

"In  the  period  between  May  17th  and 
May  31st  Captain  Guynemer  has  beaten 
down  by  himself  five  aeroplanes,  four  of 
them  in  one  day.  Two  of  these  machines 
were  brought  down  with  an  interval  of  only 
one  minute  between  them,  probably  for  the 
first  time  in  this  war. 

"These  five  latest  victories  bring  the  num- 
ber of  German  aeroplanes  destroyed  by  this 
valiant  officer  up  to  forty-three  to  date." 

On  September  23rd,  1916,  Guynemer  told 
me  that  he  had  beaten  down  two  Boches  in 

120 


THE  MAGIC  QUADRUPLE  121 

thirty  seconds,  but  he  could  not  get  the  sec- 
ond one  made  official.  But  now  no  hesita- 
tion was  possible.  Here  is  the  Ace's  time- 
table : 

1st  Aeroplane 8:30 

2nd         "         8:31 

3rd         "          12:15 

4th          "          6:30 

Here,  too,  is  the  press  comment  which  ap- 
peared following  this  event: 

"S.  E.  (Sein  Excellenz)  von  Hoeppner 
has  not  a  chance.  Or  possibly,  to  be  sure  of 
his  words,  S.  E.  von  Hoeppner  does  not 
read  the  reports  on  aviation.  S.  E.  von 
Hoeppner  is  the  Director-General  of  Ger- 
man aviation. 

"On  May  28th  last  the  German  papers 
published  an  interview  in  which  he  asserted 
that  the  German  machines  and  aviators  were 
far  superior  to  all  others.  But  May  25th 
was  a  festal  day  for  French  aviation. 


122    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"On  that  one  day  Captain  Guynemer 
brought  down  all  alone  four  enemy  aero- 
planes, which  brings  the  number  of  his  per- 
sonal victories  up  to  forty-two  and  gives 
his  squadron  120  to  its  credit.  These  figures 
would  be  added  to  considerably  if  we  were 
to  include  many  cases  in  which  aeroplanes 
were  seen  to  go  down  beyond  control,  but 
where  there  is  not  absolute  certainty  of  their 
destruction. 

"Four  aeroplanes  beaten  down,  on  one 
day  by  the  same  aviator,  this  figure  has  never 
been  attained  heretofore.  On  February 
26th,  1916,  Navarre  secured  the  first 
'double,'  two  aeroplanes  brought  down 
within  our  lines.  Nungesser,  on  the  Somme, 
destroyed  a  balloon  and  two  aeroplanes  on 
a  single  morning.  Guynemer  himself,  in 
Lorraine,  brought  down  three  aeroplanes  in 
one  day.  He  has  surpassed  both  his  rivals 
and  himself. 

"He  began  with  a  double :  at  an  interval  of 


Guynemer  with  the   military   medal  and  "Legion  of  Honor." 


Guynemer  and  his  machine,  after  a  3,000-metre  tumble. 


THE  MAGIC  QUADRUPLE  123 

one  minute — one  at  8:30,  the  other  at  8:31, 
one  north  of  Corbeny  (northeast  of  Cra- 
onne) ,  the  other  at  Juvincourt  (east  of  Cra- 
onne) — both  the  German  planes  came  down 
on  fire. 

'As  to  the  French  aviators/  declares  his 
excellency,  General  von  Hoeppner,  'they 
never  engage  in  a  combat  unless  they  deem 
themselves  sure  of  a  victory:  if  they  do  not 
consider  themselves  stronger,  they  prefer  to 
abandon  the  execution  of  their  mission 
rather  than  engage  in  a  struggle  of  which 
the  result  may  be  doubtful.' 

"On  May  25th,  in  the  morning,  Guyne- 
mer  saw  three  enemy  aeroplanes  flying  in 
concert  towards  our  lines.  Doubtless,  one 
against  three,  he  considered  himself  assured 
of  victory.  How  could  he  engage  in  a  fight 
of  which  the  result  might  be  doubtful?  He 
pounced  upon  his  three  enemies,  who  took 
flight.  He  attacked  one  of  them,  manoeu- 
vering  to  get  him  in  the  line  of  fire,  fired,  and 


124    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

after  the  first  shots  the  enemy  machine  dived 
and  fell  in  flames. 

"Meanwhile  the  danger  for  the  single- 
seated  aeroplane  was  surprise  from  the 
rear.  While  he  was  attacking  in  front,  it 
was  necessary  for  Guynemer  to  watch  the 
rear.  Guynemer  turned,  and  saw  a  second 
adversary  coming  full  at  him,  trying  to 
reach  him.  But  he  had  fired  already  from 
above  downward,  and  hit  him  with  an  ex- 
plosive bullet.  Like  the  first,  this  aeroplane 
takes  fire  and  goes  down  burning. 

"The  victories  of  Guynemer  are  lightning- 
like. They  require  only  a  few  seconds  of 
fighting. 

"Guynemer  alighted  after  this  double,  but 
indefatigable.  Fighting  excites  him,  sets 
his  nerves  a-tingle,  and  his  will  is  made  reso- 
lute. Once  again  we  see  him  in  the  paths 
of  the  air. 

"Towards  noon  an  audacious  German 
aeroplane  flew  over  the  aviation  field.    Our 


THE  MAGIC  QUADRUPLE  125 

squadrons  have  taught  the  enemy  respect 
for  our  lines.  The  unfortunate  fellow  who 
ventures  above  them  seldom  returns  home. 
How  had  this  one  broken  through  the  bar- 
rage? But  to  ascend  to  the  sky  after  him 
and  to  reach  him,  no  matter  how  speedy  the 
machine,  takes  several  minutes,  time  enough 
for  the  enemy  to  flee,  having  accomplished 
his  mission.  For  all  of  the  machines  had 
come  down,  all  except  Guynemer. 

"On  the  aviation  field  every  one  was  look- 
ing into  the  air,  some  straining  their  eyes, 
others  with  field-glasses.  Some  one  shouted 
all  at  once: 

"  'There's  Guynemer!' 

"The  German  was  doomed. 

"Guynemer  came  upon  him  like  a  whirl- 
wind. He  fired  upon  his  adversary.  Only 
one  shot  from  his  machine-gun  was  heard. 
The  aeroplane  fell,  the  propeller  revolving 
at  full  speed,  and  dug  itself  into  the  earth, 


126    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Guynemer  had  killed  the  pilot  with  a  bullet 
in  the  head. 

"That  evening  Guynemer  went  out  for  the 
third  time.  It  was  about  seven  o'clock,  over 
the  gardens  of  Guignicourt,  that  a  fourth 
machine,  beaten  down  by  him,  fell  in  flames. 

"And  as  the  young  conqueror  came  down 
at  sunset,  he  executed  all  kinds  of  figures  in 
the  air  to  announce  his  victory  to  his  com- 
rades, all  the  turns,  and  twists  and  loopings 
in  which  he  was  so  great  a  master. 

"What  can  be  added  to  such  praise? 
What  is  to  be  said  about  that  day?  What 
words,  what  expressions  are  to  be  used?  We 
have  not  sufficiently  eloquent  words  in  our 
vocabulary  to  render  sufficient  homage  to 
this  master  of  mastery.  He  plays  in  space 
and  space  belongs  to  him." 

But  some  facts  must  be  added  as  a  se- 
quence to  the  official  announcements.  The 
first  aeroplane  brought  down  was  a  two- 
seater,  of  which  one  wing  was  broken  by 


THE  MAGIC  QUADRUPLE  127 

the  fall,  and  then  fell  into  the  trees  near 
Corbeny.  The  second,  another  two-seater, 
fell  on  fire  near  Juvincourt.  The  third  was 
a  D.F.W.,  also  brought  down  afire  near 
Courlandon.  Finally,  the  fourth,  also  set 
on  fire,  dropped  between  Conde  sur  Suippes 
and  Guignicourt.  Add  to  this  that  on  that 
same  day  Guynemer  had  collaborated  with 
Captain  Auger  (the  slain  Ace)  in  a  demi- 
success,  and  that  he  put  to  flight  with  the 
same  pilot  a  group  of  six  single-seaters. 
Are  we  not  right  when  we  call  this  Ace 
"The  Giant  of  the  Air"? 


CHAPTER  XX 

AN  ENEMY  PICTURE  OF  GUYNEMER 

It  is  amusing  now  to  read  about  Guyne- 
mer's  tactics,  according  to  the  Bodies.  It 
was  the  subject  of  an  article  which  seems  to 
have  been  inspired  by  the  German  General 
Staff,  for  I  had  occasion  to  find  it  in  several 
different  papers.  Here  is  a  translation  of 
what  appeared  in  the  Badische  Presse  of 
August  8th,  1917. 

"That  man  flying  so  high  is  the  celebrated 
Guynemer.  He  is  the  rival  of  the  boldest 
German  pilots,  the  glory  of  French  avia- 
tion, an  Ace,  as  the  French  call  their  most 
successful  air  fighters.  He  is  a  redoubtable 
antagonist,  for  he  is  the  absolute  master  of 
his  rapid  machine  and,  moreover,  an  expert 
gunner.    But  this  Ace  never  accepts  a  duel 

128 


ENEMY  PICTURE  OF  GUYNEMER    129 

in  the  skies  except  under  conditions  most 
favorable  to  himself.  He  flies  above  the 
German  lines  at  an  altitude  which  varies 
between  6,000  and  7,000  meters,  a  height  at 
which  no  aerial  cannon  of  defense  can  reach 
him.  His  flights  are  never  for  observation 
purposes,  for  from  that  height  he  can  dis- 
tinguish nothing;  he  cannot  even  note  the 
movements  of  the  German  troops. 

"Guynemer  is  solely  a  hunting  aviator 
who  attacks  enemy  aeroplanes.  In  this  do- 
main his  triumphs  have  been  quite  numer- 
ous, although  he  is  not  a  Richthofen.  He 
is  very  prudent  in  his  attacks.  Flying  al- 
ways, as  we  have  stated,  at  about  6,000  me- 
ters high  he  waits  until  an  aeroplane  rises 
from  the  German  lines  or  returns  towards 
them.  Then  he  swoops  down  upon  him  like 
a  falcon  and  opens  fire  with  his  machine-gun. 
If  he  succeeds  only  in  wounding  his  adver- 
sary, or  if  this  enemy,  untouched,  accepts 
battle,    Guynemer    takes    refuge    in    the 


130    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

French  lines  at  a  speed  of  250  kilometers 
an  hour,  which  his  very  powerful  motor 
makes  possible.  He  never  accepts  battle 
upon  equal  terms.  Every  one  must  hunt  as 
he  can." 

To  this  monument  of  equivocation  the 
facts  cited  before  are  a  clear  reply.  But 
it  seems  to  me  useful  to  correct  some  of  the 
lies  or  statements  contained  in  this  sad 
paper. 

First.  "No  anti-aerial  cannon  can  reach 
Guynemer."  However,  on  September  23rd, 
1916,  our  75  anti-aerial  accomplished  the 
task  which  the  Germans  confess  they  can- 
not do. 

Second.  "Guynemer  is  solely  a  hunting 
aviator  who  attacks  the  enemy  aeroplanes." 
If  only  M.  de  la  Palisse  were  still  alive  he 
would  not  give  any  other  definition  of  the 
hunter  of  Bodies.  But  we  recall  that  this 
Ace  also  knew  how  to  accomplish  fruitful 
reconnoissances  at  the  time  when  he  was  not 


ENEMY  PICTURE  OF  GUYNEMER    131 

yet  "solely"  a  hunting  aviator.  The  author 
of  this  article  ought  to  ask  a  violinist 
if  introduced  to  him,  "Please  play  the 
clarionette." 

Third.  "Guynemer  is  not  a  Richtho- 
fen." Thank  God!  Captain  Baron  von 
Richthofen  takes  advantage  of  all  kinds  of 
bluffs  and  painful  circumstances  which 
often  sadden  the  enemy  aviators.  The  num- 
ber of  his  victories  rises  like  a  thermometer 
in  the  sun  whenever  valiant  enemy  Aces 
fall,  or  the  supremacy  of  the  air  belongs  to 
us  beyond  question.  We  have  to  think  that 
this  Richthofen  is  not  a  myth,  a  fantastic 
personage  who  in  himself  alone  represents 
all  of  the  hunting  done.  That  would  be  a 
useful  precaution:  in  this  way  the  Boches 
would  not  risk  losing  him.  When  he  was 
cited  for  the  first  time  in  an  official  commu- 
nication the  Wolff  Agency  accorded  him 
seventeen  victories.  But  he  had  never 
beaten  down  an  aeroplane.     His  persever- 


132   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

ance  in  mediocrity  had  made  him  celebrated, 
but  he  did  not  know  how  to  take  the  place 
of  Boelcke  who  was  a  real  fighter.  Oh,  no, 
the  Boche  is  right  a  thousand  times  over: 
"Guynemer  is  not  a  Richthofen,"  and  we 
congratulate  ourselves  that  this  is  true. 

Fourth.  Guynemer's  tactics,  so  rigor- 
ously analyzed  in  the  course  of  the  article, 
are  to  be  objected  to  only  for  one  reason. 
These  tactics  were  never  the  tactics  of  the 
Ace,  but  they  were  the  tactics  which  made 
Lieutenant  Immelmann  glorious  in  Ger- 
many, gaining  him  the  sobriquet,  "The 
Falcon  of  Cambrai."  There  is,  however, 
one  little  mistake:  Immelmann  could  never 
take  refuge  in  his  own  lines,  for  he  never 
came  over  ours.  In  reply  to  this  grotesque 
journalist,  let  us  recall  to  his  mind  that  pur- 
suit for  more  than  seventy  kilometers,  which 
resulted  in  a  double  victory  for  our  hero  on 
November  10th,  1916. 

Fifth.     "He  never  accepts  battle  upon 


Captain  Guynemer  decorated  with  the  Rosette  of  the 

Legion  of  Honor,  in  the  presence  of  the 

troops  of  France. 


He  has  just  received  the  Rosette  as  an  officer  of  the 
Legion  of  Honor. 


ENEMY  PICTURE  OF  GUYNEMER    133 

equal  terms/'  True,  for  all  the  greatest 
German  Aces  were  his  inferiors,  and  this 
is  the  reason  that,  being  never  satisfied  with 
their  quality,  he  had  to  content  himself  mod- 
estly with  quantity.  Lieutenant  von  Hau- 
sen,  taken  prisoner,  would  be  vexed  indeed 
if  he  knew  how  little  his  compatriots  thought 
of  him. 

Sixth.  "Every  one  must  hunt  as  he  can." 
There  again  we  agree  fully,  and  it  is  well 
for  them  that  there  was  never  another  man 
like  Guynemer,  because  he  hunted  as  he 
could,  and  whatever  he  wanted  to  do  he 
could  do.  Among  the  Boches  their  hunters 
do  what  they  can,  but  the  expression  can 
never  be  used  with  that  same  significance. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

AN  OFFICER  OF  THE  LEGION  OF  HONOR 

The  exploit  of  May  25th  was  well  worth 
the  rosette  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  which 
was  awarded  to  Captain  Guynemer  with  this 
rugged  commendation : 

"An  elite  officer,  a  fighting  pilot  as  skill- 
ful as  audacious.  He  has  rendered  glow- 
ing service  to  the  Country,  both  by  the  num- 
ber of  his  victories  and  the  daily  example 
which  he  has  set  of  burning  ardor  and  even 
greater  mastery  increasing  from  day  to  day. 
Unconscious  of  danger,  on  account  of  his 
sureness  of  method  and  precision  of  manoeu- 
vers,  he  has  become  the  most  redoubtable 
of  all  to  the  enemy.  On  May  25th,  1917, 
he  accomplished  one  of  his  most  brilliant  ex- 

134 


AN  OFFICER  OF  LEGION  OF  HONOR     135 

ploits,  beating  down  two  enemy  aeroplanes 
in  one  minute,  and  gaining  two  more  vic- 
tories on  the  same  day.  By  all  of  his  ex- 
ploits he  has  contributed  towards  exalting 
the  courage  and  enthusiasm  of  those  who, 
from  the  trenches,  were  the  witnesses  of  his 
triumphs.  He  has  brought  down  forty-five 
aeroplanes,  received  twenty  citations  and 
been  wounded  twice." 

The  forty-fourth  and  forty-fifth  victims 
were  brought  down  on  June  5th;  one  was 
an  Albatros  which  crashed  to  earth  near 
Berry  du  Bac,  when  the  hero  attacked  a 
D.F.W.,  which  after  having  given  the  sig- 
nal of  surrender,  tried  to  flee,  thinking  that 
the  Frenchman  had  his  machine-gun 
jammed.  But  during  the  pursuit  this 
weapon  did  not  remain  inactive,  for  it  be- 
gan to  work,  and  did  fire:  a  few  cartridges 
and  the  aeroplane  began  tumbling  through 
the  air,  throwing  the  passenger  out  as  it  fell, 


136   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

while  Guynemer  came  down  in  the  forest  of 
Berru. 

I  went  to  see  Guynemer  to  congratulate 
him,  when  he  made  his  first  trip  to  Paris. 
He  was  so  hurried  that  he  could  give  me  only 
a  few  hasty  facts : 

'What  more  can  I  tell  you  than  has  al- 
ready been  written  about  my  day's  work 
on  May  25th?  The  official  comment  was 
based  upon  the  facts  as  submitted  by  me. 
I  could  not  help  forgetting  you  under  the 
circumstances,  but  you  have  already  written 
about  it  in  The  Matin.  Only  one  thing  in- 
terested me  deeply;  to  drop  a  Boche  with  a 
single  bullet,  the  last  of  my  belt,  at  the  mo- 
ment when  that  individual  seemed  about  to 
come  and  defy  us  on  our  own  field. 

"This  war  has  furnished  me  with  varied 
sensations.  My  record  up  to  that  time  was 
three  shots;  for  on  another  occasion  I  had 
killed  the  pilot  with  one  bullet,  and  the  ob- 
server with  the  second.    Finally  you  recol- 


AN  OFFICER  OF  LEGION  OF  HONOR     137 

lect  that  one  which  I  captured  without  firing 
a  single  shot,  because  my  gun  refused  to 
work. 

"Moreover,  that  trick  came  near  being 
repeated  for  my  forty-fifth.  It  was  pre- 
cisely under  similar  circumstances,  with  the 
aggravation  that  the  enemy  had  given  the 
signal  'Kamerad,'  and  then  tried  to  run 
away.  Excited  at  his  breach  of  faith  and 
having  been  able  to  get  my  machine-gun 
working,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  be  avenged. 
I  was  going  to  pulverize  that  Boche!  While 
trying  to  teach  those  fellows  how  to  live  I 
have  sent  them  to  death. 

"While  we  are  on  the  subject  of  curious 
victories,  write  this  down  in  your  note-book. 
One  day  it  occurred  to  me  to  amuse  myself, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  frighten  a  Boche 
by  attacking  him  without  trying  to  shoot, 
but  passing  as  close  to  him  as  possible.  I 
saw  him,  caught  up  with  him,  passed  him, 
turned,  and  what  did  I  see?     Was  it  be- 


138   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

cause  of  an  air-eddy  or  fear?  Whatever  it 
was  I  saw  the  observer  who  was  aboard  the 
aeroplane  make  a  tremendous  leap  into  the 
air,  as  if  shot  upward  by  a  spring,  and  fall 
back,  but  not  into  the  fuselage.  The  poor 
fellow  landed  all  alone!  I  had  time  to  pho- 
tograph him  with  a  special  apparatus  which 
makes  it  possible  for  me  to  bring  back  in- 
disputable proofs  of  my  victories.  The  pic- 
ture is  not  very  clear,  you  may  well  say,  but 
we  can  distinguish  after  a  fashion  the  agony 
of  this  fellow  beaten  down  by  persuasion!" 


CHAPTER  XXII 

ELEVEN  SHOTS  FOR  THREE  BOCHES 

A  few  days  later  Guynemer  was  to  pre- 
sent more  evidence  of  his  marvelous  skill 
and  inconceivable  heroism. 

On  July  5th  he  dashed  into  the  sky  with 
that  machine  which  the  exigencies  of  the 
censor  oblige  me  to  term  without  greater 
precision,  the  magic  aeroplane.  It  was 
really  impossible  at  that  time  to  say  more 
about  this  novelty  called  forth  to  revolution- 
ize the  methods  of  hunting  and  processes 
of  attack.  It  was  the  first  time  that  the  Ace 
had  mounted  his  fantastic  machine  at  the 
front.  He  was  about  to  engage  three 
D.F.W.  aeroplanes,  but  he  was  not  very 
fortunate.  He  had  to  do  with  some  brave 
fellows  manoeuvering  in  concert  and  had  to 

139 


140   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

expect  a  vigorous  reply.  His  Spad  was  hit 
by  several  bullets,  one  went  through  his  radi- 
ator, another  through  his  motor. 

Guynemer  went  back.  He  had  almost 
missed  the  solemn  ceremonial  which  had 
been  prepared  for  him.  Yes,  on  that  very 
day,  when  he  had  gone  forth  the  slave  of 
duty,  to  fight  in  space,  he  had  upon  his  re- 
turn to  receive  the  rosette  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor  which  General  Franchet  d'Esperey 
was  to  give  him.  Such  was  the  enthusiasm 
of  this  great  Frenchman,  for  whom  no 
respite,  no  leisure  could  exist  so  long  as 
there  was  a  corner  of  the  skies  to  be  cleared ! 

The  damaged  aeroplane  had  to  be  con- 
fided to  the  care  of  those  admirable  sur- 
geons, the  mechanics.  Guynemer  was  com- 
pelled to  go  back  to  his  Spad  with  machine- 
guns.  But  this  did  not  stop  him  from  add- 
ing to  his  list. 

On  July  7th  he  arrived  on  the  front,  re- 
turning from  Paris,  where  he  had  spent 


ELEVEN  SHOTS  FOR  THREE  BOCHES  141 

forty-eight  hours  talking  matters  over  with 
his  constructors.  He  hardly  reached  the 
aerodrome  before  starting  out  on  a  cruise. 
On  the  way  he  met  a  superb  Aviatik  of  the 
latest  model,  driven  by  a  200  horsepower 
Benz  motor.  He  attacked :  at  the  third  shot 
he  saw  it  falling  fast  and  on  fire.  This  was 
very  fortunate,  for  his  gun  jammed  after 
the  winning  shot. 

The  second  day  following  he  gave  combat 
to  four  single-seated  Albatroses.  Three  of 
them  fled  very  soon,  probably  finding,  as 
the  official  Boche  journalist  put  it,  that  the 
"fight  was  unequal."  The  fourth  received 
the  full  shock.  The  pursuit  lasted  while 
they  descended  from  3,000  meters  to  about 
800.  At  this  moment  the  Ace  secured  a 
favorable  position:  five  shots,  and  the  Boche 
tumbled  in  flames  in  our  lines  near  Villers 
Franqueux  and  dug  himself  into  the 
ground.  The  cruiser  went  ahead.  Less 
than  an  hour  later  there  was  another  duel, 


142   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

which  was  at  an  elevation  of  5,500  meters. 
Three  shots  were  needed  to  obtain  the  de- 
sired result.    The  aeroplane,  a  latest  model 
D.F.W.,  fell  with  a  tail-spin  flat  upon  our 
lines,  striking  squarely  upon  one  of  our  can- 
non, which  it  damaged  to  a  certain  extent, 
at  Moussy  sur  Aisne.     The  observer  had 
been  instantly  killed,  but  the  pilot  by  some 
miracle  emerged  from  this  drama  with  quite 
a  sensation.     He  explained  to  those  who 
came  up  to  make  him  prisoner  that  his  com- 
rade and  he  had  really  had  no  chance  what- 
ever.    They  had  just  come  back  directly 
from  Russia  and  the  flight  which  had  ended 
so  strangely  was  the  first  one  they  had  taken 
on  our  front.     It  was  well  worth  the  trou- 
ble of  taking  that  long  trip  to  find  them- 
selves face  to  face  with  Guynemer  in  space. 
These    three    victories,    the    forty-sixth, 
forty-seventh  and  forty-eighth,  had  used  up 
but  eleven  bullets,  for  the  very  good  and 
sufficient  reason  that  the  victor's  machine- 


ELEVEN  SHOTS  FOR  THREE  BOCHES  143 

gun  jammed  with  deplorable  regularity  as 
soon  as  the  fifth  shot  was  fired.  The  Ace 
knew  this,  but  he  also  knew  quite  as  well  that 
when  he  took  the  pains  the  least  number  of 
shots  would  be  enough  for  him  to  conquer. 
He  was  satisfied  to  get  all  the  closer  to  his 
adversary,  an  admirable  precaution  of  brav- 
ery which  illustrates  once  more  the  hero's 
character. 

But  illness  prevented  Guynemer  from  any 
more  aerial  battles  for  several  days.  He  had 
to  withdraw  to  a  hospital,  being  the  victim  of 
the  beginning  of  some  kind  of  poisoning. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

A   MODEST    HERO 

Some  persons,  who  thought  themselves 
well  informed,  announced  that  the  flag  of 
the  Aeronautical  Division  was  to  be  carried 
by  the  Ace  of  Aces  in  the  July  14th  Review. 
But  they  knew  him  very  poorly.  He  who 
blushed  almost  when  any  one  looked  at  him, 
or  when  he  was  hailed  as  he  passed,  he  who 
had  a  horror  of  ostentation  and  parade  was 
not  the  man,  no  matter  how  great  the  honor 
of  such  service,  to  pass  through  the  streets 
of  Paris  this  way.  He  wanted  to  be  un- 
known to  the  crowd;  he  wanted  to  be  like 
one  of  those  heroes  of  the  infantry  whom  we 
do  not  know ;  he  would  accept,  but  he,  Guy- 
nemer,  would  not  like  to  be  an  attraction 
to  the  beautiful  spectacle  witnessed  by  the 

144 


A  MODEST  HERO  145 

Parisians  on  the  National  holiday  in  1917. 

He  spoke  about  it  to  me,  a  few  days  after- 
wards : 

"I  have  seldom  laughed  as  much  as  on 
that  occasion.  Many  of  the  people  seemed 
to  recognize  me,  and  acclaimed  me.  My 
poor  comrade  who  really  carried  the  ban- 
ner of  the  Aviation  division  must  have  been 
greatly  annoyed  by  these  ovations  wThich 
gave  him  no  pleasure.  But  he  could  not 
answer,  'I  am  not  he!'  And  I  assure  you 
I  would  not  have  wanted  to  be  seen  walking 
along  under  those  conditions.  Why  should 
I  allow  myself  to  be  appointed  when  in  the 
cortege  the  detachments  of  all  the  most  glo- 
rious regiments  of  France  marched  by? 
Each  one  of  those  soldiers  had  done  prodi- 
gies of  heroism,  each  one  was  to  be  vene- 
rated and  admired.  How,  then,  should  I 
have  been  picked  out  because  of  my  activ- 
ity in  the  Fifth  Arm?  Before  such  flagrant 
injustice  I  could  not  hesitate  a  moment.    It 


146   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

would  have  been  odious  on  my  part  to  allow 
them  to  make  me  a  banner-bearer  and  to 
shout  at  me  like  the  fat  calf  (the  famous 
fatted  calf  of  the  procession  on  Mardi  Gras) . 
No,  I  would  not  have  wanted  to  be  merely 
the  fat  calf,  at  which  they  would  look  and 
say:  'There  he  is!  That's  he!'  Not  on  your 
life !  That  is  the  way  to  make  all  the  infan- 
try detest  the  aviators,  whereas  the  poilus 
and  the  pilots  ought  to  love  one  another  and 
live  with  mutual  respect. 

"Very  often,  when  I  have  advanced  these 
theories  before  some  men,  the  malicious  have 
asked:  'Why,  then,  do  you  go  out  with  all 
your  crosses  and  medals  on  your  breast?' 
At  bottom  they  were  right,  they  could  not 
know!  If  I  do  this  it  is  not  because  I  take 
pleasure  in  it,  for  if  it  be  sweet  to  know  that 
you  are  celebrated,  glory  is  accompanied  by 
many  drawbacks.  You  no  longer  belong 
to  yourself,  you  belong  to  everybody.  To 
be  well  known  is  to  see  around  you  all  the 


Guynemer  face  to  face  with  a  defeated  Boche. 


A  MODEST  HERO  147 

time  a  number  of  persons  who  never  cared 
for  you  before  but  have  suddenly  assumed 
a  pseudo-friendship  for  you.  All  at  once 
they  find  out  that  you  are  a  charming  con- 
versationalist, an  infinitely  fine  soul,  and 
more  of  the  same  kind  of  gush.  Their  ob- 
ject is  to  go  out  with  you,  and  to  take  you 
to  see  their  people.  And  when  they  look  at 
you  they  imagine  that  you  admire  them. 
The  misfortune  of  renown?  You  no  longer 
know  where  sincerity  begins,  whether  they 
are  pleasant  to  you  out  of  friendship  or  van- 
ity. We  are  apt  to  become  unjust  to  those 
who  do  not  deserve  it,  and  confide  in  others 
who  deserve  it  still  less.  The  women  roll 
their  eyes  tenderly  as  they  look  at  you  and 
when  you  think  that  they  are  looking  at  your 
face  they  are  studying  your  medals. 

"And  the  journalists!  You  at  least  have 
known  me  ever  since  I  began,  and  my  friend- 
ship for  you  dates  from  that  time.  But  those 
who  have  only  begun  to  discover  me  and 


148   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

boast  about  me  because  I  have  brought  down 
more  than  ten  Boches!  I  did  not  require 
any  encouragement,  for  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  to  succeed  or  die;  but,  as  to  loyalty, 
did  I  not  need  words  of  cheer  rather  at  the 
beginning  of  my  career?  No,  you  see,  glory 
is  splendid,  on  condition  that  you  are  a 
statue,  and  yet  ...  at  that  very  moment 
they  pass  by  you  without  a  glance  and  have 
no  time  to  read  what  is  inscribed  upon  the 
pedestal.  Besides,  which  is  the  best  known 
statue  in  all  Paris,  will  you  tell  me?  It  is 
the  Obelisk,  and  that  was  never  a  man." 

Guynemer's  conversation  was  clever  and 
youthfully  delicious.  When  he  spoke,  the 
sincerity  of  his  words  was  so  plain  that  we 
dared  not  interrupt  for  fear  of  breaking 
the  charm.  He  jumped  from  one  subject  to 
the  other,  and  it  was  only  after  he  had  fin- 
ished talking  about  something  that  I  re- 
minded him  that  he  had  branched  off  sud- 
denly. 


A  MODEST  HERO  149 

"But,"  said  I,  "you  have  not  yet  told  me 
what  you  answered  that  fellow  who  asked 
you  why  you  wore  all  of  your  decorations?" 

And  now  becoming  very  grave,  assuming 
a  serious  air,  with  that  deep  look  of  his,  he 
said : 

"What  I  answered  him?  This:  I  think 
that  I  earned  the  cross  and  the  medals  loy- 
ally. Those  who  awarded  them  to  me 
wished  to  render  homage  to  the  success 
which  my  valor  or  luck,  as  you  please,  al- 
lowed me  to  attain.  I  am  the  French  Ace 
of  Aces,  and  foreign  governments  have  rec- 
ognized me  as  such.  I  no  longer  belong  to 
myself.  Some  may  assert  that  I  am  merely 
a  shop -window,  but  it  is  a  window  over  which 
it  would  be  rude  on  my  part  to  draw  down 
the  curtain.  It  would  be  like  the  person 
to  whom  you  give  a  beautiful  jewel  which 
he  shuts  up  at  the  bottom  of  a  drawer.  I 
consider  that  acting  as  I  do  is  an  act  of 
courtesy  on  my  part  towards  those  who  have 


150    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

decorated  me,  as  well  as  an  act  of  justice  to 
aviation  itself.  My  breast  on  the  one  hand 
and  my  officer's  uniform  on  the  other  will 
remind  every  passer-by  that  in  the  Fifth 
Arm  there  are  not  only  coxcombs,  always 
the  same,  walking  up  and  down  in  Paris, 
flooding  all  kinds  of  bars  with  their  pres- 
ence, with  ridiculous  uniforms  and  tunics 
free  from  any  decoration. 

"I  am  the  first  to  suffer  the  annoyances 
of  publicity,  but  I  maintain  that  I  cannot 
do  otherwise  and  that  I  am  not  less  modest 
because  I  wear  all  my  medals  and  my  cross. 
You  know  that  I  have  a  horror  of  parade, 
you  know  my  love  for  simplicity,  you  at 
least  understand  me,  but  how  many  there 
are  who  spread  the  report  abroad  that  I 
am  a  swaggerer,  puffed  up  with  pride.  I 
just  let  them  talk,  for  it  does  not  matter 
to  me,  and  it  will  not  affect  either  my  mode 
of  thought  or  of  action.  Moreover,  you  may 
be  sure  that,  if  they  had  as  many  medals, 


A  MODEST  HERO  151 

they  are  the  very  ones  who  would  have  a 
war-cross  hanging  far  below  the  bar. 

"There  is  only  one  moment  when  I  re- 
gretted at  first  this  exhibition  of  medals, 
that  was  when  I  met  a  brave  Poilu,  one  of 
those  heroes  of  which  there  are  so  many, 
whom  no  one  knows.  They  have  suffered 
far  more  than  we,  they  have  suffered  anxie- 
ties, emotions  which  we  do  not  know  how  to 
comprehend,  and  they  are  very  inadequately 
rewarded.  I  was  afraid  that  they  might 
say:  'Those  aviators  are  lucky,  everything 
is  for  them.'  But,  no,  that  was  not  their 
thought,  and  I  took  special  note  of  the  re- 
spectful way  in  which  they  saluted  me.  And 
that  look  they  gave  me  was  the  sweetest, 
the  most  vibrant  eulogy  that  I  could  re- 
ceive. You  may  be  sure  that  they  know 
how  to  recognize  the  aviator  who  reflects 
honor  upon  the  profession — and  the  other 
kind.  That  is  the  reason  that  they  feel  not 
a  bit  jealous  of  those  whom  they  have  seen 


152    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

at  work,  collaborating  with  them  and  letting 
them  see  those  beautiful  tumbles  of  Boches 
in  flames." 

I  can  add  but  a  word  to  these  statements. 
I  had  written  them  down  with  the  exactness 
of  stenography.  Those  who  knew  the  great 
hero  may  also  testify  to  the  same  effect. 
That  modesty,  that  sympathy  for  the  Poilu, 
were  two  of  the  most  characteristic  traits 
of  his  admirable  soul. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

VICTORIES   OF   THE   NEW   AEROPLANE 

After  having  cared  for  himself  energeti- 
cally and  rapidly,  Guynemer  hastened  to 
leave  the  hospital.  He  was  not  yet  per- 
fectly well,  but  one  great  reason  impelled 
him  to  hurry:  the  Flanders  offensive!  He 
wanted  to  take  part  in  it,  all  the  more  now 
that  the  machine  of  which  he  expected  mar- 
vels, and  which  had  already  received  its 
very  violent  baptism  of  fire,  was  ready,  hav- 
ing been  fully  repaired.  The  two  convales- 
cents— the  pilot  and  his  aeroplane — were  to 
complete  the  cure  by  the  aid  of  fresh  air — 
murderous  indeed  for  the  Boches. 

It  was  by  telephone  that  the  Ace  of  Aces 
gave  me  the  facts  concerning  these  last  suc- 
cesses.   He  wanted  to  tell  me  that  he  had 

153 


154   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

not  been  able  to  come  into  my  office,  be- 
cause he  had  to  leave  again  that  very  eve- 
ning. The  mess-age  should  have  lasted  but 
a  minute  or  two  at  most.  Three-quarters  of 
an  hour  later  I  still  had  the  receiver  at  my 
ear  and  a  mass  of  sheets  of  paper  covered 
with  notes  in  front  of  me !  When  we  talked 
aviation  neither  he  nor  I  had  the  least  idea 
of  the  lapse  of  time ! 

"You  wrote  in  the  Petit  Parisien"  said 
he,  "that  I  got  my  fiftieth  on  the  same  day 
as  my  forty-ninth,  but  this  is  inexact.  I 
brought  them  down  twenty-four  hours  apart, 
at  nine  o'clock  at  night,  and  they  fell  in  the 
same  neighborhood.  For  the  first  time  I 
found  out  what  my  aeroplane  could  do:  my 
two  adversaries  were  pulverized  and  scat- 
tered through  space. 

"On  July  27th  I  was  with  Deullin.  There 
is  a  man  of  whom  you  can  never  say  enough 
as  to  his  courage  and  skill.  He  is  an  ath- 
lete in  the  full  meaning  of  that  word,  and 


VICTORIES  OF  NEW  AEROPLANE     155 

I  know  few  pilots  who  are  finer  and  more 
adroit.  You  ought  to  write  about  him 
oftener,  for  he  deserves  it.  He  is  not  only 
a  remarkable  aviator,  but  he  is  a  real  soul, 
and  this  fact  is  sufficiently  rare  for  us  to 
point  it  out  insistently  in  him!" 

I  answered  Captain  Guynemer  that  I 
had  been  desirous  of  showing  my  readers 
the  beauty  of  the  career  of  Captain  (then 
Lieutenant)  Deullin,  for  a  long  time,  but  I 
had  been  compelled  to  do  so  very  timidly  on 
various  occasions,  for  I  knew  that  it  was 
very  distasteful  to  him  when  he  was  taken 
up  in  the  papers. 

"Oh,  of  course,"  replied  the  Ace  of  Aces, 
"he  has  a  horror  of  publicity.  He  is  exces- 
sively modest  and  many  pilots  who  have  not 
half  as  many  victories  to  their  credit  are 
much  better  known." 

"But  that  parenthesis  has  deprived  me  of 
the  story  of  your  forty-ninth." 

"I  was  with  Deullin  when  we  encountered 


156  GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

a  220  horse-power  Albatros  of  the  latest 
type,  which  soared  over  a  patrol  of  eight 
other  Boches.  It  had  a  most  idiotic  air. 
It  seemed  to  say  to  its  comrades:  'Don't 
bother  yourself  about  anything,  I  am  here.' 
And  it  gave  itself  such  condescending  airs 
towards  these  young  chickens  as  if  taking 
them  to  the  hen-coop.  At  least  these  were 
the  ideas  that  occurred  to  me  about  that 
Ace,  sufficiently  an  Ace  to  be  placed  as 
leader  of  so  important  a  troop  of  aeroplanes. 
I  came  up  from  the  rear,  approached  to 
within  a  few  meters.  Boom!  The  result 
was  immediate,  the  machine  was  cut  in  two 
and  burst  into  flame,  the  wings  on  one  side, 
the  fuselage  on  the  other.  There  was  a  gen- 
eral '  scatter ation'  and  the  great  swaggerer 
was  finally  burned  to  a  cinder  between 
Langemark  and  Roulers. 

"On  the  next  day  it  was  harder.  There 
was  some  resistance  on  the  part  of  my  ad- 
versary,  and   I   shall  long  remember   my 


The  debris  of  three  aeroplanes  brongJit  dozen  by  the  Ace  in 


Guynemer  ready  for  patrol. 


. 


i  \ 

■'4 


- 


VICTORIES  OF  NEW  AEROPLANE     157 

fiftieth!  My  opponent  was  certainly  an 
Ace.  After  a  first  shell  which  missed  the 
target,  I  made  a  turn  so  as  to  reload  at  my 
ease  and  then  come  back  to  the  attack,  when 
the  Boche  with  great  address  and  coolness 
took  upon  himself  to  attack  as  if  he  were 
going  to  come  off  victorious  and  received 
me  with  a  volley  which  cut  through  a  spar 
of  my  machine,  damaged  the  rudder,  the 
cowl  and  struck  the  exhaust  pipe.  My  Spad 
was  in  evil  case,  but  the  first  thing  in  my 
mind  was  vengeance.  And  really  the  man 
in  front  of  me  was  a  man  and  not  a  coward. 
Damn  it,  at  moments  like  these  a  man  must 
not  allow  himself  to  give  way  to  sentimen- 
talism.  I  fired!  My  opponent,  who  had 
a  D.F.W.,  crumpled  up  in  flames,  like  the 
one  of  yesterday,  almost  at  his  side!" 

"But  what  about  your  fight  with  an  Eng- 
lish pilot?" 

"How  do  you  know  anything  about  that 
story?" 


158   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"Isn't  it  my  business  to  know  all  about 
every  one  of  your  fights?  But  they  tell 
that  story  in  so  many  different  ways  that 
I  must  know  the  real  story  from  your  own 
lips." 

"Oh,  it  was  very  simple!  I  had  just  come 
out  of  a  mass  of  clouds  when  I  saw  an  Eng- 
lish aeroplane  some  distance  away.  He 
came  towards  me  and  as  soon  as  he  was 
within  range  he  began  firing.  I  turned  and 
twisted  every  way  to  show  him  my  tricolor 
markings,  but  he  persisted.  What  was  I  to 
do?  I  had  to  make  a  very  rapid  decision. 
If  I  dived  he  would  follow  me  and  possibly 
bring  me  down.  If  I  did  not  fire  back  he 
would  certainly  'get'  me.  I  must  put  him 
out  of  commission.  I  did  not  hesitate  any 
longer.  Most  fortunately  at  that  time  I  still 
had  my  machine-gun  with  me,  and  without 
it  what  would  I  have  done?  We  were  quite 
near  our  own  lines,  and  by  planing  he  could 
come  down  there,  so  I  had  to  fire  a  few 


VICTORIES  OF  NEW  AEROPLANE      159 

shots  at  his  motor.  I  aimed — with  what 
anguish  of  mind — pulled  the  trigger  and 
waited.  He  had  been  hit  and  I  saw  him  at 
once  steer  towards  our  lines.  What  luck 
that  I  had  not  killed  him!  I  came  down 
after  him,  and  as  he  landed  I  alighted  near 
him  and  made  myself  known  to  him.  The 
poor  boy  had  been  hit  by  one  bullet  in  the 
leg — a  few  weeks  of  vacation,  nothing  more 
— but  I  never  saw  a  man  more  confused  than 
he.  He  excused  himself  so  sincerely  and 
vociferously  that  towards  the  end  I  asked 
myself  if  it  was  not  I  that  had  a  bullet  in 
the  leg. 

"He  was  a  youthful  pilot,  who  had  just 
before  brought  down  a  Boche,  a  real  one 
that  time,  and  he  was  so  happy  that  he 
wanted  to  bring  down  everything  he  saw  in 
front  of  him,  without  stopping  to  think 
about  the  distinguishing  marks.  Other  er- 
rors like  this  are  possible  at  a  certain  dis- 
tance and  several  cases,  more  or  less  tragic 


160    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

have  been  recorded.  It  even  happened  to 
me  one  day,  when  I  saw  a  group  of  aero- 
planes. I  came  up  to  them  to  protect  them, 
for  I  thought  that  I  had  recognized  them  as 
French.  But  they  were  Boches.  There  I 
was,  and  I  would  not  even  pretend  to  re- 
treat. They  were  five  and  I  fought  with 
them  and  put  them  all  to  flight. 

"To  finish  with  my  adventure  with  my 
Englishman.  It  has  been  said  that  as  a 
reward  for  my  action  they  had  given  me  the 
D.S.O.  (Distinguished  Service  Order).  This 
is  absolutely  stupid.  I  had  received  that 
high  reward  several  days  before  this  inci- 
dent. This  report  is  spread  by  those  kindly 
gentlemen  who  wish  it  to  be  believed  that  I 
have  been  decorated  not  for  my  fifty  victo- 
ries, but  for  a  mistake!" 


CHAPTER   XXV 

NEVER   AT   THE   REAR 

One  question  had  interested  me  especially, 
for  I  have  discussed  it  in  La  Ghierre 
Aerienne: 

"Now  that  you  have  your  fifty  Boches, 
don't  you  think  that  it  is  time  for  you  to 
take  a  needed  rest?  You  have  shown  what 
an  Ace  of  Aces  can  do,  but  is  it  not  impru- 
dent to  tempt  fortune  indefinitely?  Don't 
you  think  that  if  you  took  charge  of  a  school 
for  teaching  the  tactics  of  hunting  by  aero- 
plane that  you  would  render  greater  service 
to  France  than  by  remaining  on  the  front? 
Would  not  twenty  under  Guynemer  bring 
down  more  victims  than  one  Guynemer? 
After  the  very  hard  campaign  through 
which  you  have  passed  during  more  than 

161 


162   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

two  years,  don't  you  think  that  a  few  months 
at  the  rear  would  do  you  a  tremendous 
amount  of  good?" 

"My  dear  Mortane,  never  talk  to  me 
about  going  to  the  rear,  if  we  are  to  remain 
good  friends.  I  would  never  consent  to 
take  charge  of  a  school.  Besides,  I  would 
possibly  be  a  very  poor  professor  and  I 
think  that  I  can  accomplish  far  more  by 
example  than  by  precept.  The  preceptors 
are  not  the  payers.  I  want  to  pay  my  debt 
to  France  and  to  try  to  lengthen  my  list  of 
successes  incessantly.  Look  at  Ball,  whom 
we  tried  to  send  to  a  school.  At  the  end  of 
a  few  weeks  he  became  frightfully  home- 
sick for  the  front,  and  came  back  here.  I 
am  like  him.  And  then,  too,  if  the  public 
hears  nothing  about  me  for  some  time  they 
will  say  'Guynemer?  He  has  been  caught 
at  last!'  Yes,  at  that  moment  they  will  for- 
get my  fifty  victories,  and  will  know  only 


NEVER  AT  THE  REAR  163 

that  others  are  fighting  and  that  I  am  not 
with  them. 

"I  know  very  well  that  I  shall  end  by 
staying  there.  They  always  say  with  reas- 
suring conviction,  'They  all  get  theirs!' 
Don't  you  think  that  I  have  not  thought  of 
this  ?  Don't  you  think  that  when  I  saw  that 
poor  Auger  land  on  our  soil  to  breathe  his 
last  in  our  arms  after  fighting  with  three 
Boches  that  this  was  not  my  first  thought? 
But  I  have  been  waiting  for  this  ever  since 
my  very  first  flight !  I  am  simply  trying  to 
postpone  it  to  the  very  last  moment  and  to 
avenge  myself  royally  in  advance  before  I 
fall. 

"There  are  some  pilots  whom  you  could 
never  persuade  to  go  to  the  rear,  even  to 
teach  the  students  of  our  science.  There 
was  Dorme,  who  brought  down  one  Boche 
a  day,  and  he  was  certainly  one  who  would 
not  play  such  a  passive  part. 

"And  then  to  be  a  professor — anybody 


164   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

can  be  one  and  they  are  often  those  who  are 
least  capable  in  the  air,  and  yet  can  give 
the  very  best  lessons.  The  proof  of  this  is 
that  hunting  is  taught  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  by  those  who  have  never  really 
done  any  hunting  themselves! 

"As  for  me,  as  long  as  I  am  able,  I  shall 
be  at  the  front,  to  defend  my  title  of  Ace  of 
Aces.  What,  now  that  I  have  received  all 
of  the  finest  rewards,  when  I  have  nothing 
more  for  which  to  hope,  can  I  ask  for  a  post 
of  absolute  rest?  That  would  be  cowardice, 
you  see!  I  owe  myself  to  my  Country.  I 
used  the  most  varied  stratagems  to  get  into 
the  Fifth  Arm,  for  I  was  resolved  to  be  an 
aviator.  I  have  obtained  a  position  which 
compels  me  to  set  an  example.  To  leave 
the  front  would  be  nothing  less  than  deser- 
tion. ; 

'And  the  Boches?  They  would  be  only 
too  happy,  and  they  would  grant  their 
Richthofen  twenty   victories   more   at   one 


NEVER  AT  THE  REAR  165 

time  to  show  their  joy!  They  would  say 
that  their  Ace  had  frightened  me  and  that  I 
had  asked  to  go  to  the  rear.  No,  anything 
but  that — I  shall  hold  on  to  the  bitter  end." 

There  was  nothing  to  say  by  way  of  re- 
ply, no  discussion  was  possible  when  he  had 
made  up  his  mind  so  resolutely.  The  high 
command  tried  to  convince  him,  but  in  vain. 
The  advice  of  friends  was  no  more  success- 
ful: one  month  later  the  great  hero  was  no 
more! 

At  the  conclusion  of  our  telephone  con- 
versation, I  asked  Guynemer: 

"As  to  Richthofen,  I  have  had  a  project 
in  my  mind  for  some  time.  You  know  that 
they  published  the  memoirs  of  Boelke,  Im- 
melmann  and  Richthofen  in  Germany. 
Their  aim  was  to  exalt  their  Aces  and  to 
depreciate  ours.  It  was  with  a  view  to  mak- 
ing propaganda  among  the  neutrals  and 
to  increase  the  enthusiasm  for  aviation 
among  the  Boches,  that  they  were  published. 


166    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

I  really  believe  that  it  would  be  a  very 
patriotic  move  for  you  to  publish  your  rec- 
ollections.   What  do  you  say  to  it?" 

"I  understand  your  reasons  very  well," 
answered  the  Ace  of  Aces,  "but  I  shall  never 
do  that  work  while  the  war  lasts:  even  if 
the  Government  were  to  allow  it,  how  could 
I  get  the  time?  Finally,  even  if  these  two 
conditions  were  met,  I  would  not  attempt 
it,  because  that  very  instant  there  would  be 
a  horde  of  people  who  would  assert  that  I 
am  pretentious  and  that  I  am  posing." 

"Let  the  imbeciles  talk.  But  you  must 
consider  the  historic  value  of  the  recital  of 
your  victories  related  by  yourself,  and  the 
story  of  all  your  emotions  while  fighting  in 
the  air." 

"That  would  be  a  fine  affair!  What 
could  I  add  to  what  you  know,  for  I  have 
told  you  whatever  you  asked  me  to  tell  you." 

"Yes,  but  that  is  not  the   same  thing, 


NEVER  AT  THE  REAR  167 

'He'  or  'I'.  Readers  are  much  more  deeply 
interested  in  a  personal  narrative." 

"Never  mind  all  that!  For  your  'Boche 
Hunters'  I  have  pointed  out  two  or  three 
corrections  of  facts  which  were  not  precisely 
exact;  for  your  article  in  Je  Sazs  Tout  on 
my  first  thirty- six  victories,  my  father  helped 
you  to  complete  the  facts,  and  therefore  if 
you  wish  you  may  make  a  study  of  me.  I 
shall  not  stop  you  and  am  ready  to  furnish 
you  with  all  the  facts  you  may  require,  but 
when  it  comes  to  writing  and  signing  myself, 
that  I  will  not  do." 

Then  we  discussed  a  series  which  was  soon 
to  appear  in  La  Guerre  Aerienne.  Alas, 
brutal  death  intervened,  and  we  could  only 
consecrate  a  special  issue  to  the  hero.  And 
in  the  chapter  of  the  "Boche  Hunters," 
which  he  had  read  over,  I  was  compelled 
to  add  at  the  close  the  account  of  his  disap- 
pearance. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE  LAST  FLIGHT 

This  was  the  last  conversation  that  I  en- 
joyed with  the  Ace  of  Aces.  A  few  days 
later  he  returned  to  the  front. 

Once  more  the  "Stork  Squadron"  was  op- 
erating on  the  coast  of  Dunkirk. 

The  magic  aeroplane  which  had  been 
damaged  again  had  been  fully  repaired.    On 

August  17th  the  Ace  of  Aces  brought  down 
an  Albatros,  which  took  fire,  and  a  few  in- 
stants afterwards  a  D.F.W.  On  the  18th 
he  transformed  a  two-seater  into  a  torch,  but 
too  far  away  for  it  to  be  made  official. 
Then  he  was  obliged  to  have  his  machine 
repaired  and  resumed  action  on  his  old 
Spad. 

On  the  20th  he  achieved  his  fifty-third  vic- 

168 


Guynemer  and  his  faithful  gunner,  Guerder. 


THE  LAST  FLIGHT  169 

tory,  the  last  official  triumph,  a  D.F.W., 
which  crashed  to  earth  at  Poperinghe. 
These  four  days'  fighting  had  earned  him 
three  more  victories. 

Here  are  the  two  citations  dealing  with 
his  last  successes: 

"An  incomparable  fighting  pilot.  On 
July  6th  and  7th,  1917,  he  beat  down  his 
forty-sixth,  forty-seventh  and  forty-eighth 
enemy  aeroplanes." 

"On  July  27th  and  28th  he  brought  down 
his  forty-ninth  and  fiftieth  enemy  aeroplanes 
in  flames;  on  August  17th  he  achieved  his 
fifty-first  and  fifty-second  victories." 

A  few  days  after  his  fifty-third  Boche, 
Guynemer  took  command  of  the  Stork 
Squadron.  Captain  Heurtaux,  who  had 
come  back  to  his  post  after  Captain  Auger, 
provisionally  in  command,  had  been  killed, 
July  28th,  was  wounded  again  Septem- 
ber 3rd. 

Thus  Captain  Guynemer  had  the  diffi- 


170    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

cult  task  entrusted  to  him  of  guiding  the 
Storks  to  battle.  The  administrative  work, 
the  task  of  looking  after  everything  and 
every  one,  did  not  stop  the  young  leader 
from  flying  himself.  He  might  have  ab- 
stained, for  his  machine  was  still  being  re- 
paired. But  it  was  not  characteristic  of 
him  to  rest,  even  when  he  had  a  very  valid 
excuse.  He  took  up  again  his  Spad  with  two 
machine-guns.  Unfortunately  his  weapons 
always  refused  to  fire  at  the  opportune  mo- 
ment. The  Ace  of  Aces  flew  from  five  to 
six  hours  each  day,  trying  to  overcome  his 
bad  luck.  It  was  a  hard  time  for  him,  but 
he  would  not  give  up.  Like  the  skilled  gam- 
bler who  tries  to  win  by  continuing  his  bet- 
ting, he  fought  over  and  over  again,  but 
could  not  add  a  single  one  to  his  many  vic- 
tories. On  September  10th  not  only  did  his 
weapons  give  him  trouble,  but  his  motor  took 
sides  with  the  guns.  A  break-down  com- 
pelled him  to  seek  asylum  with  a  Belgian 


THE  LAST  FLIGHT  171 

squadron.  Quickly  he  made  his  repairs,  de- 
parted and  returning  to  his  own  aerodrome 
took  flight  once  more  upon  another  machine. 
He  was  hit  in  the  course  of  an  aerial  duel, 
and  had  to  come  down  again  quickly.  An- 
other flight,  and  more  annoyances.  His  ill 
luck  would  not  be  conquered,  to  all  appear- 
ances ! 

On  the  next  day,  that  he  might  triumph 
over  that  which  would  not  yield,  that  he 
might  try  his  luck  to  the  very  extremity, 
he  appealed  to  death  itself. 

On  September  11th,  1917,  notwithstand- 
ing the  bad  weather,  Guynemer  started 
upon  a  cruise  with  second  Lieutenant  Ver- 
duraz.  After  furrowing  space  for  a  long 
time  without  success,  for  atmospheric  con- 
ditions kept  the  Bodies  on  the  earth,  the 
two  pilots  at  last  saw  a  two-seater  which  ap- 
peared to  be  lost  in  the  clouds.  The  hero 
darted  forward,  attacked,  his  gun  missed 
fire.     He  manoeuvered  for  position  again 


172    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

without  even  trying  to  dodge  the  answer- 
ing fire,  so  sure  was  he  of  himself  in  deal- 
ing with  that  young  fry.  What  was  a  single 
two-seater  to  him?  It  was  not  even  inter- 
esting. But  above  all  did  he  wish  to  bring 
it  down,  to  turn  luck  his  way,  and  break  the 
long  series  of  no  results. 

But  what  happened  after  that  moment? 
Second  Lieutenant  Bozon  Verduraz  had 
gone  towards  other  fights,  with  the  convic- 
tion that  his  comrade  would  without  a 
doubt,  come  out  of  the  duel  victorious,  but 
he  found  nothing  there  when  he  came  back. 

Guynemer,  the  hero  of  dreams,  had  van- 
ished in  mystery. 

This  was  above  Poelcapelle  that  the  ca- 
reer of  the  most  prodigious  pilot  of  the  war 
terminated,  after  he  had  added  up  755  hours 
of  aeroplane  flight ! 

We  hoped  for  a  long  time,  even  after  it 
seemed  that  hope  was  no  longer  possible. 
The  Boches  were  dumb,  adding  the  refine- 


THE  LAST  FLIGHT  173 

ment  of  cruelty  in  not  announcing  their  vic- 
tory. The  censor  forbade  the  announcement 
of  Guynemer's  disappearance,  but  the  news 
was  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth.  We 
thought  that  possibly  he  had  been  able  to 
land,  that  he  had  concealed  himself  and 
was  trying  to  return  to  us.  The  most  im- 
possible rumors  were  spread.  No  one  could 
suppose  that  the  great  slayer  of  Boches 
could  possibly  have  been  subjected  to  the 
same  lot  which  he  had  imposed  upon  more 
than  a  hundred  of  his  enemies.  Guynemer? 
Every  one  deemed  him  invulnerable ;  no  one 
had  any  idea  that  he  could  be  killed. 

But  many  long  days  afterwards  came  the 
news  from  a  German  source.  We  could  no 
longer  doubt  it.  The  Ace  of  Aces  had  been 
beaten  down  near  the  cemetery  of  Poelca- 
pelle.  Two  soldiers  had  been  present  at  the 
place  of  the  catastrophe.  One  wing  of  the 
Spad  had  been  broken.  The  pilot  lay  there, 
killed,  with  a  bullet  in  his  head,  and  one  leg 


174    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

broken.  On  him  was  found  his  commission, 
which  made  it  possible  to  identify  the  body. 

The  district  in  which  Guynemer  had 
ended  his  career  in  a  burst  of  glory,  where 
he  had  by  one  bound  leaped  to  heaven,  was 
being  hammered  by  the  English  artillery. 
Attacks  followed.  Our  allies  looked  for  his 
grave  in  the  cemetery  of  Poelcapelle  when 
they  took  it.  But  they  never  succeeded  in 
finding  it.  We  learned  later  that  on  ac- 
count of  the  incessant  danger  the  Germans 
had  not  been  able  to  remove  the  remains  to 
inter  them.  The  soul  of  Guynemer  in  the 
Great  Beyond  had  the  supreme  satisfaction 
of  not  seeing  his  body  defiled  by  his  enemy. 

Lieutenant  Weisemann,  who  had  com- 
mitted the  sacrilege  of  defeating  this  di- 
vinity of  space  survived  his  success  but  a  few 
days. 

On  September  30th,  1917,  he  who  had 
written  to  his  parents:  "Have  no  more  fears 
about  me,  I  have  brought  down  Guynemer, 


THE  LAST  FLIGHT  175 

and  I  can  never  again  meet  so  dangerous 
an  adversary;"  he  who  by  one  of  those  tricks 
of  fate  which  brings  death  at  the  moment 
when  it  seems  farthest  away,  this  Boche, 
found  himself  face  to  face  with  Second  Lieu- 
tenant Fonck  in  the  clouds.  He  was  upon  a 
Rumpler  of  the  latest  type  and  was  flying 
around  a  squadron  of  eight  aeroplanes  which 
it  was  his  mission  to  protect.  The  combat 
took  place  at  a  height  of  5,000  meters.  Very 
soon  Weisemann  was  hit  and  crumpled  up, 
struck  also  by  a  bullet  in  the  head. 

Guynemer  was  well  avenged,  and  by  that 
very  one  who,  in  his  turn,  has  become  the  Ace 
of  Aces,  achieving  the  largest  number  of 
his  latest  successes  while  driving  the  magic 
aeroplane  devised  by  that  other  greatest 
Ace,  who  will  always  remain  such,  even  if 
the  number  of  victories  attained  by  him  be 
exceeded  by  some  one  else. 

The  shade  of  the  hero  seems  to  lead  the 
destiny  of  his  successor! 


176    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

The  Boches,  who  cannot  even  show  re- 
spect to  the  dead,  revenged  themselves  upon 
him  who  had  wiped  out  nine  complete  squad- 
rons officially  and  more  than  fourteen  if  we 
were  to  count  all  the  probable  victories 
gained  far  over  their  lines.  In  a  monument 
of  lying  and  shame,  which  should  dishonor 
its  author,  they  published  in  Die  Woche  of 
October  6th,  1917,  with  the  reproduction 
of  the  pilot's  commission  and  card,  this  opin- 
ion about  him  whom  all  venerate  so  piously: 

"Captain  Guynemer  enjoyed  a  great 
reputation  in  the  French  army,  for  he  said 
that  he  had  beaten  down  more  than  fifty 
aeroplanes.  It  is  nevertheless  proven  that 
a  large  number  of  these  returned  to  their 
aerodromes,  damaged  it  is  true.  To  render 
all  German  verification  impossible,  they 
have  not  indicated  either  the  places  or  the 
dates  of  these  pretended  victories.  Some 
French  aviators  taken  prisoner  have  stated 
that  his  method  was  as  follows:  Sometimes, 


THE  LAST  FLIGHT  177 

as  he  flew  as  the  leader  of  the  squadron,  he 
let  his  comrades  attack  first,  and  then  threw 
himself  upon  the  enemy  picked  out  as  easi- 
est ;  sometimes  he  flew  alone  at  a  great  height 
for  hours,  back  of  the  French  lines,  and  then 
threw  himself  suddenly  upon  isolated  Ger- 
man observation  aeroplanes.  If  his  first 
attack  was  not  successful,  Guynemer  aban- 
doned the  fight  at  once.  He  refused  to  take 
part  in  long  duels  where  it  is  necessary  to 
give  proof  of  courage." 

We  would  not  even  try  to  refute  such 
calumnies.  We  read  them  the  better  to 
abhor  the  Boche  and  simply  shrug  our 
shoulders. 

We  began  these  Recollections  of  Guyne- 
mer with  that  admirable  chronicle  devoted 
to  him  by  M.  Georges  Clemenceau.  Let  us 
conclude  them  with  equal  beauty  and  piety: 

"Captain  Guynemer,  commander  of 
Squadron  No.  3,  died  on  the  field  of  honor 


178    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

September  11th,  1917.  A  hero  of  legendary 
power,  he  fell  in  the  wide  heaven  of  glory, 
after  three  years  of  hard  fighting.  He  will 
long  remain  the  purest  symbol  of  the  quali- 
ties of  the  race :  indomitable  in  tenacity,  en- 
thusiastic in  energy,  sublime  in  courage. 
Animated  with  inextinguishable  faith  in 
victory,  he  bequeathes  to  the  French  sol- 
dier the  imperishable  remembrance  which 
will  exalt  the  spirit  of  sacrifice  and  the  most 
noble  emulation." 

Such  was  the  twenty-sixth  and  last  cita- 
tion, as  it  stands  at  the  Pantheon,  "The  in- 
scription destined  to  perpetuate  the  mem- 
ory of  Capain  Guynemer,  the  symbol  of  the 
aspirations  and  enthusiasms  of  the  Nation," 
according  to  the  resolution  voted  unani- 
mously by  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

THE  FIFTY-THREE  VICTORIES  WON  BY  GUYNE- 

MER   AS   TOLD    BY    HIMSELF   IN    HIS 

NOTE-BOOKS  OF  FLIGHT 

Richthofen,  notwithstanding  his  eighty- 
victories  as  counted  by  the  Wolff  Agency, 
will  never  leave  a  name  in  history  com- 
parable to  that  of  the  two  great  heroes  who 
preceded  him  in  death :  Captains  Guynemer 
and  Ball.  The  German  was  perhaps  an 
able  fighter,  but  by  exaggerating  his  suc- 
cess unduly  the  enemy  announcements  have 
prevented  us  from  considering  him  seriously, 
while  as  to  his  English  and  French  rivals 
one  thing  is  certain,  that  the  total  allowed 
to  each  is  rather  below  than  above  the  reality. 
Not  to  run  the  risk  of  error,  it  may  be  stated 
that  Guynemer  and  Ball  brought  down  at 

179 


180    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

least  a  third  more  victims  than  their  records 
show. 

We  have  the  good  fortune,  thanks  to  the 
kindness  of  the  father  of  the  Ace  of  Aces,  to 
be  able  to  offer  some  most  interesting  and 
authentic  documents.  They  constitute  a 
recital  of  the  fifty-three  victories  gained  by 
Guynemer,  according  to  his  own  note-books 
of  flight. 

The  first  lines  of  the  first  volume  of  these 
notes  by  Guynemer  are  as  follows: 

January  27,  1915 — Snow-duty. 

28,  "    — 

29,  -Meeting     and     Snow- 
duty. 

30,  "    —Extra-duty  at  Bleriot 

aerodrome. 

31,  "    —Extra  duty  at  Bleriot 

aerodrome. 

These  five  days,  to  tell  the  truth,  give  no 
evidence  that  the  student-pilot  would  be- 


«  ori  " 


<<  OA  << 


<<  ni  a 


ft. 


~5> 


■ft. 
o 


THE  FIFTY-THREE  VICTORIES     181 

come  the  most  glorious  of  all.  It  was  not 
until  February  1st  that  he  went  out  for  the 
first  time  on  a  rolling  Bleriot,  for  ten  min- 
utes. Then  his  training  became  more  aerial, 
and  with  a  record  of  90.05  hours  of  active 
flying,  Corporal  Guynemer  made  his  ap- 
pearance, June  9th,  1915,  at  the  headquar- 
ters of  the  Stork  Squadron,  to  which  he  had 
been  attached.  He  had  mastered  all  the 
tricks  of  aerial  achievement,  and  was  in- 
spired by  a  will  which  nothing  could  change. 
His  girlish  air  made  some  think  of  him  as 
a  bit  spoiled.  He  did  not  want  to  be  so  con- 
sidered, but  wished  to  prove  himself  a  man. 
Very  soon  he  showed  himself  heroic. 

In  the  beginning  he  did  a  little  of  every- 
thing: scouting,  signaling  to  the  artillery, 
special  missions  (two  as  a  volunteer:  in  this 
kind  of  work,  two  leave  on  the  aeroplane, 
which  lands  at  some  appointed  spot  in  the 
enemy  lines,  and  the  pilot  returns  alone), 
even  bombardments   and  pursuits  without 


182    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

results.  At  this  time  the  squadrons  were 
expected  to  render  any  and  all  kinds  of 
service. 

It  was  on  July  19th,  1915,  that  Guynemer 
achieved  his  first  victory.  Here  is  how  he 
tells  about  it : 

"Left  with  Guerder  after  a  Boche  sig- 
naled as  being  over  Coeuvres,  catching  up 
with  him  over  Pierref onds :  fired  one  belt  of 
cartridges,  gun  jammed,  then  got  to  work- 
ing again.  The  Boche  fled  and  landed  near 
Laon.  At  Coucy  we  made  a  semi-circle  and 
saw  an  Aviatik,  at  3,200  meters,  flying  to- 
wards Soissons.  We  followed  him,  and 
when  he  was  over  our  lines  we  dived  and 
placed  ourselves  some  fifty  meters  below 
him,  to  the  rear  and  left.  At  the  first  vol- 
ley the  Aviatik  lurched  and  we  saw  the  flash 
of  his  fire.  He  was  coming  back  at  us  with 
a  rifle,  and  planted  one  bullet  in  a  wing,  and 
another  bullet  grazed  Guerder's  hand  and 
head.    At  my  last  volley  the  pilot  sank  back 


THE  FIFTY-THREE  VICTORIES     183 

in  the  fuselage,  the  observer  raised  his  arms 
and  the  Aviatik  fell  like  a  plummet,  in 
flames,  between  the  trenches.  We  landed 
at  Sarriere  l'Eveque.  The  Boches  attacked 
us  with  their  cannon.  While  taking  the  ma- 
chine further  I  broke  the  propeller  on  a 
hay-stack.  Left  at  two  o'clock  for  Vau- 
ciennes,  Vedrines  piloting  the  aeroplane. 
Two  hours  twenty-five  minutes  of  flight, 
3,700  meters  altitude,  ten  minutes  fighting 
at  a  distance  of  from  twenty  to  fifty  meters." 

Encouraged  by  this  success,  which  earned 
him  the  Military  Medal,  Guynemer  went 
after  more  victims,  but  was  not  very  fortu- 
nate for  several  months.  It  is  true  that 
the  enemy  aeroplanes  were  harder  to  find 
than  to-day,  and  the  guns  jammed  so  fre- 
quently that  you  were  never  certain  of  not 
being  made  a  prisoner  together  with  your 
machine-gun. 

It  was  between  his  first  and  second  Boche 
victories    that    the    young    champion    per- 


184    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

formed  his  two  special  missions,  the  second 
under  especially  dramatic  conditions.  He 
notes  them  thus  in  his  memorandum : 

"September  18th,  1915. — Special  recon- 
naissance with  Adjutant  Hatin,  Peronne, 
Busigny,  la  Capelle,  Vervins,  Laon,  putting 
in  at  Pierrefonds.  Two  hours,  forty  min- 
utes, 3,100  meters." 

"October  1st,  1915. — Special  mission. 
Two  hours,  forty-five  minutes,  3,700  me- 
ters." Not  a  word  more,  which  shows  the 
artlessness  of  this  youth  who,  after  experi- 
encing so  many  varied  emotions,  might  have 
written  a  few  lines,  giving  his  impressions. 
No,  he  never  thought  about  the  dangers  en- 
dured, he  was  only  thinking  about  the  suc- 
cess which  was  to  come. 

He   carried   out   several   bombardments, 
one  of  which  was  important  in  results: 
~  "October    2nd,    1915.— Bombarded    the 
railway  station  of  Noyon  from  a  single- 
seated  Morane-Saulnier.    Dropped  nine  75 


THE  FIFTY-THREE  VICTORIES     185 

bombs.  Noted  a  very  heavy  explosion  in 
the  hangars  situated  on  the  northeastern 
side  of  the  road.  Made  two  attacks  upon  a 
Boche  aeroplane,  but  he  fled  each  time  at 
the  first  shot  from  my  gun.  One  hour,  thirty 
minutes,  3,100  meters." 

The  next  day  he  carried  out  two  bombard- 
ments, both  upon  the  railway  of  Chauny; 
one  at  2:15,  at  3,200  meters,  the  other  at 
2:30  at  the  same  altitude. 

And  now  comes  a  fight  in  which,  to  avoid 
the  fire  of  his  adversary,  he  placed  his  ma- 
chine just  below  him  until  he  could  get  his 
gun  to  work  again. 

"November  6th,  1915. — Protection  of 
reconnoitering.  At  Chaulnes  attacked  a 
L.V.G.,  150  horsepower.  My  machine-gun 
jammed  (percussion  spring  twisted) .  Tried 
to  fire  at  a  distance  of  forty  meters,  from  the 
side,  then  at  two  meters,  underneath.  In 
turning  to  withdraw  I  swept  the  right  wing 
of  the  Boche  machine.    Result:  a  bit  of  my 


186   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

sail  torn  off,  one  ball  over  my  head  in  the 
upper  plane.    One  hour,  3,500  meters." 

Another  fight  in  which  his  weapon  co- 
operated with  enemy. 

"November  28th,  1915. — A  hunting  cir- 
cuit. Attacked  a  Boche  (at  2,000  meters), 
who  defended  himself  with  a  machine-gun. 
My  gun  jammed  four  or  five  times.  The 
Boche  dived  some  500  meters.  After  re- 
loading, attacked  again.  Jammed  twice, 
the  last  absolute,  an  ejector  giving  way. 
Seven  or  eight  shots  at  a  distance  of  fifty  to 
one  hundred  meters.  Fired  sixty  times. 
Landed  at  Moreuil.  One  hour,  2,500 
meters." 

At  last  comes  his  second  victory: 

"December  5th,  1915. — Circled  the  Com- 
piegne  district.  Saw  two  aeroplanes  at 
3,200  meters,  towards  Chauny.  I  attacked 
the  uppermost  at  the  moment  when  he  was 
over  Bailly.  I  fired  fifteen  shots  at  a  dis- 
tance  of  fifty   meters.      The   Boche   fired 


THE  FIFTY-THREE  VICTORIES     187 

twice,  but  I  got  below  and  fired  thirty  shots 
at  a  distance  of  twenty  meters.  The  Boche 
went  into  a  tail-spin  and  fell  at  900  meters 
to  the  north  of  Bailly,  opposite  Bois  Carre. 
Landed  at  Compiegne.  One  hour,  thirty 
minutes,  3,200  meters." 

He  did  not  have  long  to  wait  for  his  third 


success : 


December  8th,  1915. — Scouting  over  the 
strategic  line  Roys-Nesle.  When  coming 
down  saw  a  German  aeroplane  high  up  and 
far  from  his  own  lines.  At  the  moment  he 
passed  the  lines  at  Beuvraigne  I  cut  off  his 
retreat  and  pursued  him.  I  caught  up  with 
him  in  five  minutes  and  fired  forty-seven 
shots  from  my  Lewis  at  a  distance  of  twenty 
meters,  from  the  rear  and  below.  The 
enemy  aeroplane,  a  L.V.G.  of  165  horse- 
power probably,  dived,  took  fire,  turned  over 
and  planing  fell  on  its  back  at  Beuvraigne, 
carried  westward  by  the  wind.  The  pas- 
senger fell  at  Bus,  the  pilot  at  Tilloloy. 


188    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Landing  at  Grovillers  (47th  Company). 
Two  hours,  fifteen  minutes,  3,200  meters." 

Guynemer  now  enjoyed  a  series  of  tri- 
umphs: on  the  fourteenth  he  achieved  an- 
other victory,  making  three  in  seven  days,  at 
a  time  when  aviators  found  it  rather  difficult 
to  get  their  prey. 

"December  14th,  1915. — Accompanied 
the  V.B.  108  to  the  bombardment  of 
Hervilly.  Attacked  two  Fokkers.  One 
fell  in  a  tail-spin  after  receiving  Bucquet's 
fire  and  mine  at  point-blank  range.  Fought 
the  second:  one  rocker-arm  shot  away,  one 
pipe  smashed,  one  bullet  in  the  propeller, 
one  in  the  right  wheel,  one  in  the  fuselage 
cutting  a  cable,  one  in  the  rudder.  One 
hour,  fifty-five  minutes,  3,000  meters. " 

It  was  on  February  3rd,  1916,  that  he  got 
his  fifth  Boche,  and  at  the  same  time  passed 
on  to  his  sixth.  His  first  "Double"  was  ob- 
tained under  remarkable  conditions: 

"February  3rd,  1916. — Scouting  over  the 


THE  FIFTY-THREE  VICTORIES     189 

Roye-Chaulnes  district.  At  11:10  I  at- 
tacked a  L.V.G.,  which  came  back  at  me 
with  its  machine-gun.  Fired  forty-seven 
shots  at  a  distance  of  100  meters.  The 
enemy  aeroplane  dived  very  sharply  over 
its  lines,  smoking  fiercely.  Lost  sight  of  .it 
five  hundred  meters  from  the  ground.  At 
11:40  attacked  a  L.V.G.  (with  a  Parabel- 
lum)  from  the  rear  at  twenty  meters.  He 
twisted  and  turned  in  spirals,  pursued  him 
at  point-blank  range  to  1,300  meters  (fell 
three  kilometers  from  our  lines).  I  fol- 
lowed him  until  I  lost  sight  of  him.  (This 
aeroplane  had  the  usual  yellow-tinted  wings, 
the  fuselage  painted  blue  like  the  Nieuport 
and  presented  the  profile  of  a  single  hull. ) 

"At  11 :50  attacked  a  L.V.G.,  which  dived 
into  the  clouds  at  once,  where  it  disappeared. 
Landing  at  Amiens.  Two  hours,  thirty 
minutes." 

Two  of  these  three  successes  were  cred- 


190   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

ited  officially  to  Guynemer,  the  three  nec- 
essary witnesses  testifying. 

On  the  second  day  afterwards  came  an- 
other victory,  the  seventh : 

"February  5th,  1916. — On  the  circuit 
of  district  Roye-Chaulnes.  Attacked  a 
L.V.G.  before  Frise  at  the  moment  that  it 
was  going  back  over  its  lines.  Coming  up 
to  him  head  on,  I  shot  upward.  Fired  forty- 
five  shots  at  a  distance  of  twenty  meters, 
after  getting  to  the  rear.  The  Boche 
lurched  and  dived  vertically,  giving  forth  a 
heavy  black  smoke  (fight  witnessed  by  Be- 
noit  of  C-4).  The  Boche  fell  in  flames  be- 
tween Assevillers  and  Herbecourt  (seen  by 
an  anti-aircraft  battery  and  by  a  group  of 
artillerists  commanded  by  Miribel) .  Landed 
at  Moreuil.  Two  hours,  thirty-five  minutes, 
3,300  meters." 

Here  are  the  words  set  down  by  the  Ace 
in  his  note-book,  telling  the  story  of  two 
hard  duels: 


THE  FIFTY-THREE  VICTORIES    191 

"March  6th,  1916.— Circuit  of  Ressons 
district.  Attacked  a  L.V.G.  Several 
shots  at  a  distance  of  thirty  meters,  seven 
bullets  in  the  machine,  piping  cut,  left  upper 
spar  hit.  The  Boche  was  able  to  get  back. 
Landed  at  Estrees.  Observer:  One  lieu- 
tenant from  Pressange.  One  hour,  thirty 
minutes,  3,800  meters." 

As  to  the  eighth  victory,  it  is  told  with  no 
more  details: 

"March  12th,  1916.— On  circuit  Chaulnes- 
Lassigny.  Saw  cannon  shots  over  Com- 
piegne,  cut  off  retreat  of  Boche  ( L.V.G. ). 
He  opened  fire  at  100  meters.  I  fired  at 
fifteen  meters,  three  jammings  (an  Ameri- 
can belt  of  cartridges)  at  ten  meters,  fired 
thirty  shots.  L.V.G.  went  down  vertically, 
on  fire,  and  fell  in  front  of  Thiescourt,  1,000 
meters  from  our  lines.  I  landed  near  the 
front,  then  at  Estrees,  then  at  Breuil.  One 
hour,  forty-five  minutes,  3,400  meters." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

RECORD    AT   VERDUN 

Second  Lieutenant  Guynemer  was 
now  called  to  the  Verdun  front,  where  the 
battle  raged  and  where  it  was  necessary  for 
the  supremacy  of  the  air  which  had  been 
taken  by  the  enemy  to  be  secured  for  us  most 
absolutely. 

But  just  the  day  after  he  reached  there, 
on  the  fatal  13th,  the  Ace  was  wounded  for 
the  first  time: 

"March  13th,  1916.— Verdun  circuit,  at- 
tacked a  group  of  four  L.V.G.'s,  fired  at 
sixty  meters  and  missed.  Supply  of  gas  at 
Vadelaincourt.  Two  hours,  thirty  minutes, 
3,200  meters." 

Flew  after  a  Boche  squadron  signaled  as 
being  near  Revigny.     Saw  nothing.     Cir- 

192 


"T3 

© 

<3 


3* 

Ox 


4l 

v. 


.eg 


5» 


RECORD  AT  VERDUN  193 

cuit  in  region  of  Argonne.  Attacked  a 
L.V.G.  Came  up  to  within  twenty  meters 
on  the  side  without  having  been  seen. 
Turned  to  get  below  and  was  swept  past  by 
the  speed  of  my  machine;  dived  to  reload. 
A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  attacked  two 
Boches  coming  straight  towards  me.  Came 
up  with  the  first  one  of  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  before.  Fired  at  ten  meters  distance, 
looping  to  get  below  him.  At  that  moment 
he  also  fired.  The  back,  upper  spar  on  the 
right  cut  in  two,  cable  cut,  right  front  stand- 
ard of  cabane  cut  (two  blows  in  my  face), 
wind-shield  smashed,  several  bullets  in  the 
planes  and  two  bullets  in  my  left  arm.  I 
dived  sharply,  the  second  Boche  firing  and 
missing  me.  Good  landing  at  Brocourt. 
During  this  second  circuit  a  N.1104  with  a 
turret  appeared  to  fire  down  upon  me  at 
sixty  meters,  a  few  shots  with  my  Lewis,  and 
he  dived  towards  his  landing-place  without 


194    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

my  being  able  to  read  his  number.  Two 
hours,  3,000  meters." 

The  wounded  man  was  sent  on  furlough 
to  Paris  on  the  next  day,  where  he  was  cared 
for  in  the  Japanese  ambulance.  As  soon  as 
he  could  get  out  he  wanted  to  fly  again.  On 
April  26th  he  made  the  trip  from  Issy-les- 
Moulineaux  to  Borget  and  return  in  thirty 
minutes  on  a  thirteen  meter  Nieuport.  His 
wounds  did  not  prevent  him  from  flying  and 
he  did  not  wish  to  lose  training.  It  was  May 
19th  that  he  again  took  his  place  in  the 
squadron.  He  obtained  a  few  probable 
victories,  continued  to  add  to  his  hours  of 
flight  to  enjoy  the  health-giving  air,  but  did 
not  secure  his  ninth  official  victory  until 
towards  the  end  of  June: 

"June  22nd,  1916.— On  the  Peronne- 
Roye  circuit.  Saw  a  Fokker  over  his  lines. 
Two  hours,  twenty-five  minutes,  3,300  me- 
ters. 

"Peronne-Roye     circuit.       Attacked     a 


RECORD  AT  VERDUN  195 

double-fuselage  machine  at  ten  meters  dis- 
tance. Machine  gun  would  not  fire.  Got  it 
working  again.  Dived  behind  him  and 
made  him  go  back  to  his  lines.  Attacked 
two  aeroplanes  over  Villers-Bretonneux,  set 
one  on  fire  at  the  same  time  that  Chainat 
did.  Two  hours,  forty  minutes,  4,200 
meters. 

"Chaulnes-Peronne-Roye  circuit.  A  two- 
seater  which  hastened  back  home.  Three 
hours,  thirty  minutes,  4,200  meters.', 

Thus  on  this  single  day  Guynemer  had 
made  three  cruises:  eight  hours,  thirty-five 
minutes  of  flying.  It  may  well  be  said  that 
when  he  met  a  Boche  it  was  because  he  was 
looking  for  him.  The  one  which  he  had 
felled  crashed  to  earth  in  our  lines,  near 
Rosieres  en  Santerre. 

On  the  next  day  he  came  back  from  his 
rounds  with  two  spars  cut  as  the  result  of  a 
duel  with  a  L.V.G.    Then  he  started  again 


196    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

on  another  machine.  On  that  day  he  re- 
mained in  the  air  five  hours. 

Another  encounter  which  was  so  hard  that 
the  Frenchman  had  to  render  homage  to  his 
adversary : 

"July  6th,  1916.— Scouting.  Saw  a 
Boche  twenty  meters  away  as  he  came  out  of 
a  cloud.  No  time  to  fire.  Two  hours,  twen- 
ty minutes,  2,800  meters. 

"Peronne  circuit.  Shot  at  by  cannon. 
One  shell  hit  a  spar.  About  6:20  saw  a 
L.V.G.  over  the  Somme  at  1,800  meters. 
He  went  back  almost  to  his  own  landing 
place.  At  about  6.50  surprised  by  a  L.V.G. 
firing  through  the  propeller.  Engaged  in 
combat.  I  went  down  to  reload  and  saw 
the  Boche  dive  down  upon  a  Maurice  Far- 
man.  Coming  back  to  the  attack  I  turned 
the  Boche,  engaged  him:  two  cables  of  his 
right  cellule  cut  clean,  pierced  his  propel- 
ler.   Landing  near  Chuiques.    Boche  snap- 


RECORD  AT  VERDUN  197 

pish,  but  manageable.  Two  hours,  thirty 
minutes,  3,200  meters." 

So  every  day,  every  flight  meant  combats. 
The  number  of  Bodies  never  seemed  to  stop 
the  conqueror  of  space.  See  what  occurred 
later : 

"July  10th,  1916.— Fight  of  three  against 
seven.  Rescued  Deullin  (became  a  Captain, 
Ace  with  twenty  victories)  who  was  pur- 
sued by  an  Aviatik  at  100  meters.  One 
hour,  twenty  minutes,  3,600  meters. 

"July  11th,  1916.— Attacked  a  L.V.G. 
over  Flaucourt  at  ten  meters.  Jamming. 
Explosion  on  board  the  Boche.  His  left 
elevating  cable  cut.  Dived,  but  seemed  to 
regain  control.  Forty-five  minutes,  2,500 
meters. 

"Circuit  Peronne-the  Somme.  Attacked 
an  Aviatik  near  Saint  Christ,  then  a  L.V.G. 
who  took  me  from  the  rear,  fired  three- 
fourths  of  my  belt  at  between  five  and  six 
meters.     A  luminous  bullet  went  through 


198    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

the  fuselage.  At  that  moment  Lieutenant 
Deullin  fired  a  belt  of  cartridges  from  very 
close  up,  and  beat  down  the  L.V.G.  At- 
tacked seven  Boches  to  the  northeast  of 
Peronne.  Bad  jamming  at  first  shot.  Two 
hours,  2,600  meters." 

He  had  collaborated  with  Lieutenant 
Deullin,  but  would  not  accept  credit  for  this 
one  himself.  He  had  scored  an  almost  cer- 
tain victory  that  morning,  but  it  was  not 
sure  enough  to  be  counted.  He  ended  the 
day  by  attacking  seven  Boches.  This  was 
Guynemer.  He  could  not  expend  his  great 
fighting  soul  in  any  day's  work. 

On  the  fifteenth  he  brought  down  his 
tenth  Boche. 

"July  15th,  1916. — On  Somme  circuit. 
Brought  down  a  L.V.G.  (the  wheels  in  the 
air),  at  the  same  time  with  Heurtaux  (who 
became  Captain  after  twenty-one  victories, 
having  been  severely  wounded  twice) .  Fifty 
minutes,  1,800  meters." 


RECORD  AT  VERDUN  199 

Three  days  later  he  was  working  with  the 
English  aviators. 

"July  18th,  1916.— Somme  circuit.  Fol- 
lowed three  L.V.G.'s  for  an  hour  and  a 
quarter  along  the  Somme.  Fought  these 
three  L.V.G.'s  and  some  Aviatiks  with  some 
Havilands.  'Peppered'  one  of  them  to  res- 
cue an  Englishman,  then  an  L.V.G.  Two 
hours,  thirty  minutes,  3,500  meters." 

The  hero's  enthusiasm  never  subsided  for 
an  instant.  His  flying  note-book  is  the  most 
complete  proof  of  what  energy  and  courage, 
directed  by  an  iron  will  and  an  implacable 
desire  to  conquer,  can  accomplish: 

"July  27th,  1916.— Scouting  along  the 
army-front.  Fight  with  a  group  of  three 
L.V.G.'s  at  150  meters  north  of  Peronne 
without  result.  One  hour,  fifty-five  min- 
utes." 

"On  the  circuit  of  the  army-front. — At- 
tacked between  1,100  and  4,000  meters  sev- 
eral groups  of  from  three  to  ten  machines, 


WO   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

some  of  them  with  two  motors,  and  three 
seats.  Surprised  a  double-motor  pursuing  a 
Nieuport,  which  made  a  half-turn.  At- 
tacked from  the  front  at  from  400  to  eighty- 
meters  a  double-motor  pursuing  an  Eng- 
lishman. The  Boche  tried  to  fire  back,  but 
dived  before  he  could  shoot  and  was  then 
pursued  by  Heurtaux.  He  dived  once  more 
without  firing,  seemed  seriously  wounded, 
especially  the  passengers.  Fight  ended  in 
the  Combles  district.  Two  hours,  fifteen 
minutes." 

On  the  next  day,  a  day  of  victory: 

"July  28th,  1916. — Scouting  along  army- 
front.  Attacked  a  group  of  four  enemy 
aeroplanes  and  forced  one  of  them  to  the 
earth.  Attacked  a  second  group  of  four 
aeroplanes  which  scattered  at  once.  Selected 
one  of  the  hunting  aeroplanes  and  fired 
about  250  shots  at  him.  The  Boche  dived 
sharply,   seeming  hit.      Machine   smashed. 


RECORD  AT  VERDUN  201 

Confirmation  by  English  headquarters. 
At  the  last  shots  fired  by  the  Wickers,  a 
blade  of  my  propeller  was  shattered  by  the 
bullets.  The  unbalanced  motor  struck  its 
own  machine,  breaking  it  badly.  Landed  by 
volplaning  at  aerodrome  of  Chepilly,  with- 
out accident.  One  hour,  forty-five  min- 
utes." 

This  eleventh  victory  earned  him  his  tenth 
citation  with  which  Guynemer  closed  the 
first  of  his  note-books.    It  sums  up  thus: 

Hours  of  J  Apprenticeship    ....     90  hours,     5  minutes 
Flight     \  At  the  Front 348  hours,  25  minutes 

438  hours  30  minutes 
Aeroplanes  brought  down,  eleven 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

FROM  NOTE-BOOK,  VOLUME  II 

The  second  note-book  presents  a  differ- 
ent aspect  from  the  preceding.  The  Ace  is 
a  man  of  action  who  detests  writing.  He 
is  annoyed  at  having  to  keep  account  of  his 
flights.  He  entrusts  this  task  to  a  secretary 
in  the  office  and  often  forgets  to  mention 
some  combats.  He  is  intent  upon  bring- 
ing down  Boches,  and  considers  these  vic- 
tories as  only  a  part  of  the  current  day's 
work,  so  the  facts  are  given  even  less  fully 
than  before. 

The  month  of  August  from  the  3rd  to  the 
17th  is  not  very  favorable.  The  Ace  is  con- 
stantly in  trouble  with  his  machine-gun. 
Just  for  a  change,  on  August  6th,  he  goes 
after   captive  balloons.     He   attacks  two, 

202 


FROM  NOTE-BOOK,  VOLUME  II     203 

one  of  them  three  times,  the  other  twice, 
and  forces  both  down.  "Was  violently  can- 
nonaded," is  all  he  reports.  On  the  next 
day  he  flew  for  more  than  six  hours,  but  does 
not  set  down  the  length  of  his  second  cruise. 

"August  7th,  1916. — Scouting  along 
army-front;  saw  two  aeroplanes  of  the 
Bodies  over  their  lines  five  or  six  kilometers 
from  Lassigny.    Two  hours. 

"Army-front  circuit,  attacked  four  enemy 
machines,  cutting  out  one,  but  my  machine- 
gun  would  not  fire.  I  made  a  half-turn,  re- 
ceived seven  fragments  of  shells,  one  in  the 
gas-throttle,  another  in  my  union-suit. 

"Made  the  round  to  Cachy  Chepilly  and 
from  Chepilly  to  Cachy.  Attacked  the  Ger- 
man trenches  to  north  of  Clery  in  company 
of  Lieutenant  Heurtaux.  I  fired  at  the 
emplacement  of  several  machine-guns.  Af- 
ter 120  shots,  gun  jammed,  breech  broke. 
Two  hours,  ten  minutes. 

"Just  a  trial  flight." 


204    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

That  was  a  pretty  busy  clay,  but  it  added 
nothing  to  his  list.  On  the  twelfth,  fresh 
difficulties : 

"August  12th,  1916. — Army-front  cir- 
cuit. With  Lieutenant  Deullin  attacked  a 
group  of  three  Boche  aeroplanes,  two  of 
which  were  the  so-called  'Bananas'  and  one 
an  Aviatik.  Deullin,  whose  gun  jammed, 
had  to  withdraw  from  the  fight.  Second- 
Lieutenant  Guynemer  continued  the  fight. 
Four  jammings  in  the  first  twenty-five  cart- 
ridges, then  it  fired  normally.  Two  hours, 
fifteen  minutes." 

The  secretary,  who  had  the  honor  of  filling 
out  the  hero's  note-book,  starts  in  the  first 
person  and  ends — either  from  admiration  or 
timidity  in  writing  T — by  writing  down: 
"Second  Lieutenant  Guynemer." 

"August  16th,  1916. — Peronne  district 
circuit.  With  Lieutenant  Heurtaux,  saw  a 
machine  of  Nieuport  type,  without  the  black 
cross,  low  over  their  lines.     We  attacked 


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his  disappearance. 


FROM  NOTE-BOOK,  VOLUME  II     205 

two  Bodies  over  Peronne  at  2,000  meters. 
The  one  shot  at  by  Heurtaux  dived  and  had 
to  land.  The  second  abandoned  the  fight. 
I  could  not  follow,  my  gun  jamming  when 
I  was  at  point-blank  distance.  Two  hours, 
thirty  minutes. 

"Bapaume-Peronne  circuit. — Saw  five 
Boche  planes  in  the  direction  of  Bapaume 
and  several  others  on  the  ground  within  their 
lines.    Two  hours." 

But  against  the  strong  will  of  Guyne- 
mer  even  bad  luck  had  to  declare  itself 
beaten.  On  the  17th  he  gained  his  thirteenth 
victory  and  on  the  18th  his  fourteenth: 

"August  17th,  1916. — Army-front  circuit. 
I  surprised  a  Boche  and  fired  at  him  from  a 
distance  of  five  meters.  Two  jammings  in 
three  shots.  The  observer  was  killed  and  the 
aeroplane  dived  sharply,  giving  forth  a 
heavy  black  smoke  from  beneath  the  pilot's 
seat.  Then  attacked  two  L.V.G.'s  over 
Montauban,  three  jammings  out  of  ten  shots. 


206    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Nothing  to  report.  Two  hours,  five  min- 
utes." 

This  victory  embellished  by  many  jam- 
mings, followed  by  the  words,  "nothing  to 
report,"  forces  us  to  consider  the  extraor- 
dinary mentality  of  our  hero.  To  him  there 
was  "nothing  to  report"  when  he  had  brought 
down  a  Boche,  although  his  gun  had  been 
most  contrary.  Those  are  the  risks  of  war 
which  every  fighter  has  to  expect:  "nothing 
to  report."  They  must  be  met  calmly,  with- 
out anger,  without  regrets,  without  pride, 
without  joy:  "nothing  to  report." 

"August  18th,  1916. — Army-front  circuit. 
I  attacked  a  Rumpler,  protected  by  an 
Aviatik,  some  2,000  meters  north  of  the 
Somme.  Fired  two  shots  at  200  meters, 
pilot  probably  killed,  machine  went  down  in 
a  tail-spin  and  crashed  to  the  earth  on  the 
western  border  of  Bois-Madame.  The 
Aviatik  fled.    Jamming  after  two  shots." 

This  is  one  of  the  fights  in  which  Guyne- 


FROM  NOTE-BOOK,  VOLUME  II     207 

mer  showed  most  clearly  his  incredible  skill. 
With  two  bullets  fired  at  200  meters  going 
at  a  speed  of  about  200  kilometers  an  hour 
against  a  machine  traveling  180  kilometers 
an  hour,  he  succeeded  in  killing  the  pilot  and 
bringing  down  his  adversary.  Ah,  his  ma- 
chine-gun would  not  work  for  him,  all  the 
better,  the  bullets  that  do  travel  are  enough 
for  him  to  conquer! 

On  the  20th  some  aeroplanes  were  "prob- 
ably" brought  down,  but  they  are  not  made 
official. 

"August  20th,  1916. — Army-front  circuit. 
I  surprised  a  German  plane  over  Bois- 
Madame  at  1,400  meters,  fired  down  at  him 
as  I  passed  at  a  distance  of  fifteen  meters, 
saw  the  observer  seated  in  his  place.  The 
aeroplane  dived  suddenly.  Immediately  af- 
terwards attacked  a  second  German  plane 
which  dived.    Two  hours,  five  minutes. 

"Army-front  circuit.  Saw  a  group  of  four 
L.V.G.'s  in  the  Montauban  district.     I  at- 


208    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

tacked  an  Aviatik,  taking  him  by  surprise, 
at  7:30,  2,000  meters  over  the  Somme. 
Fired  twenty  shots.  As  I  passed  at  a  half 
a  meter  saw  that  the  passenger  appeared  to 
be  wounded.  The  machine  seemed  out  of 
control  and  fell  to  the  ground.  About  7 :35 
attacked  an  L.V.G.,  firing  point-blank  at  25 
meters,  received  several  bullets  in  the  motor, 
tank,  cartridge-case,  contusions  on  the  in- 
dex finger  of  the  left  hand.  Landed  near 
Flaucourt  in  a  shell-crater.    Two  hours." 

To  be  certain  of  the  result  of  his  fire, 
Guynemer  had  come  back  over  his  opponent 
who  seemed  in  a  bad  way,  so  as  to  judge  of 
the  situation.  He  passed  only  half  a  meter 
away,  to  see  the  effect  of  his  attack.  The 
attack  of  which  he  was  the  victim  kept  him 
on  the  ground  only  five  days.  He  began  to 
work  again  on  the  26th. 

On  September  4th,  his  fifteenth  victory. 

"September  4th,  1916. — Hunting  over 
Chaulnes-Peronne.    I  attacked  a  Boche  to- 


FROM  NOTE-BOOK,  VOLUME  II     209 

wards  Brie.  I  dived.  I  attacked  four 
Rumplers  accompanied  by  a  L.V.G.  and 
an  Aviatik.  I  brought  down  one  of  them 
near  Hyencourt." 

Here  are  rights  every  day,  two  or  three 
a  day  at  least.  And  there  are  also  some 
credits  missing  to  him. 

" September  9th,  1916. — On  hunting  cir- 
cuit. I  attacked  two  Boches  at  100  meters 
over  Herbecourt.  One  dived  suddenly  to- 
wards Peronne.  Pursued  him  from  4,800  to 
2,000  meters.  A  bullet  pierced  two  of  my 
spars.    One  hour,  forty-five  minutes. 

On  hunting  rounds.  At  6:30  p.m.  I  at- 
tacked a  L.V.G.,  killed  the  passenger,  then 
fired  250  shots  at  from  150  to  20  meters. 
The  Boche  dived  suddenly  towards  the 
Somme.  One  hour,  forty  minutes,  1,600 
meters." 

''September  14th,  1916. — On  my  rounds. 
Attacked  three  Rumplers  over  Chaulnes  at 
5,100  meters  and  another  Rumpler  at  5,200 


210   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

meters.  I  barred  a  Rumpler  from  our  lines 
for  twenty  minutes  at  5,300  meters.  Wind 
N-W  from  35  to  500  meters.  Two  hours, 
thirty  minutes,  5,300  meters. 

"Hunting.  Attacked  a  Boche  point 
blank.  Jammed  by  a  defective  cartridge. 
One  hour,  thirty-five  minutes." 

Read  the  account  of  this  day  and  consider 
the  amount  of  energy  and  self-control  re- 
quired for  four  hours  and  five  minutes  fly- 
ing. When  we  recollect  that  Guynemer  was 
tall,  thin,  puny  (they  called  him  "fil  de  fer," 
'  'ram -rod,"  when  he  was  studying  as  a  me- 
chanic at  Pau),  that  his  weight  caused  his 
rejection  five  times  when  he  applied,  we  are 
compelled  to  think  that  the  breathing  of  the 
air  at  high  altitudes  is  a  wonderful  remedy, 
or — and  I  think  that  this  is  more  nearly  true 
— that  the  Ace  of  Aces  was  a  phenomenon 
of  heroic  will: 

"September  15th,  1916.— On  the  hunt.  I 
attacked  a  Boche  at  1,800  meters  over  Bar- 


FROM  NOTE-BOOK,  VOLUME  II     211 

leux.  Jammed  at  the  second  shot  at  point 
blank  distance.  Attacked  two  others  at 
5,200;  another,  a  Rumpler,  at  5,200  over 
Saint  Cren.  The  planes  broke  after  a  fall 
of  1,000  meters.  He  crashed  down  near 
Saint  Christ.  One  hour,  forty-five  minutes, 
5,200  meters. 

"Hunting.  Attacked  a  hunting  Aviatik, 
fired  twenty  shots  while  facing  it.  Attacked 
three  Boches,  firing  at  one  of  them  from 
close  range.  He  fired  back  (one  bullet  in 
my  left  wing).  Attacked  an  Albatros,  fir- 
ing at  ten  meters.  Killed  the  passenger. 
The  machine  seemed  out  of  control,  but  re- 
gained the  level  after  several  futile  at- 
tempts.   Two  hours,  twenty  minutes." 

During  this  day  Guynemer  had  taken 
part  in  six  combats,  brought  down  his  six- 
teenth enemy  and  killed  an  observer,  whose 
aeroplane  fell  out  of  control. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

SIX  FIGHTS  IN  TWO  HOURS 

On  the  22nd  Guynemer  did  even  better  in 
the  course  of  a  cruise  lasting  two  hours  and  a 
quarter: 

"September  22nd,  1916.— Hunting. 

"September  22nd,  1916. — I  attacked  four 
L.V.G.'s  over  Misery. 

"September  22nd,  1916.— I  attacked 
eight  L.V.G.'s  over  Chaulnes. 

"September  22nd,  1916. — I  attacked 
twice  eight  L.V.G.'s  over  Roye. 

"September  22nd,  1916.— I  attacked 
eight  L.V.G.'s  over  Chaulnes. 

"September  22nd,  1916.— I  attacked  two 
Albatroses  over  Chaulnes. 

"Six  fights,  two  hours,  fifteen  minutes. 

"Hunting.     I  was  attacked  twice  by  an 

212 


SIX  FIGHTS  IN  TWO  HOURS       213 

R-4  (aeroplane  with  a  French  marking) .  I 
attacked  a  single-seated  Fokker  biplane 
(tricolor  rudder)  which  was  firing  at  a 
Maurice  Farman.  I  fired  twice  at  a  dis- 
tance of  between  two  and  ten  meters.  The 
Boche  fell  out  of  control,  but  seemed  to  re- 
gain the  level  before  landing.  Over  Bar- 
leux  attacked  a  Boche  who  dived.  One 
hour,  forty-five  minutes,  3,000  meters." 

It  is  interesting  to  note  once  more  the 
various  tricks  of  the  Huns,  who  do  not  hesi- 
tate to  paint  the  rudders  of  some  of  their 
planes  with  the  colors  of  the  Allies  in  order 
to  deceive  our  hunters.  So  great  a  display 
of  courage  must  certainly  gain  its  reward. 
Guynemer  secured  his  the  next  day,  but 
nearly  paid  for  it  with  his  life.  Here  are 
his  notes: 

"September  23rd,  1916.— Hunting.  Two 
fights  at  Eterpigny.  At  11:20  brought 
down  a  Boche  on  fire,  near  Eochis;  at  11:25 
made  a  Boche  land  out  of  control  near  Car- 


214    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

repuy;  at  11:30  was  brought  down  myself, 
canvas  coming  off.  I  smashed  my  machine 
near  Fescamps.  Bruises  (one  bullet  in  a 
spar).  One  hour,  fifteen  minutes,  3,000 
meters." 

Guynemer  went  on  furlough  for  a  few 
days,  coming  back  to  take  his  place  at  the 
front  on  October  5th.  By  the  9th  he 
achieved  a  "probable"  success: 

"October  9th,  1916.— Hunting.  At- 
tacked a  Boche  at  a  distance  of  less  than 
fifty  meters,  near  Berny.  He  dived  ver- 
tically." 

On  the  16th  he  shows  his  dissatisfaction 
at  the  close  of  the  recital  of  the  day's  do- 
ings, all  on  account  of  his  machine-gun: 

"October  16th,  1916.— On  the  hunt.  I 
attacked  four  Boches,  jammed.  I  attacked 
a  very  rapid  camouflaged  single-seater.  He 
could  not  fire  a  shot.  I  fired  shot  by  shot, 
but  succeeded  in  making  the  Boche  dive 
sharply  for  home.     Refused  several  fights, 


SIX  FIGHTS  IN  TWO  HOURS       215 

on  account  of  the  machine-gun.  Two  hours, 
ten  minutes,  4,800  meters." 

More  annoyances  during  succeeding  days, 
but  nevertheless  no  one  was  more  keen,  no 
one  took  so  much  pains,  no  one  passed 
more  time  in  the  air.  And  how  many 
Boches  might  have  been  brought  down, 
whom  he  had  at  his  mercy! 

On  October  17th  he  found  that  he  had  to 
decline  a  battle  against  too  strong  a  force, 
and  this  was  on  account  of  his  gun  again: 

"October  17th,  1916.— Hunting.  At- 
tacked five  single-seaters.  In  the  begin- 
ning had  to  fire  shot  by  shot.  At  the  end 
fired  normally.  The  five  Boches  dived  over 
their  lines.  Attacked  a  two-seater.  At  this 
moment,  surprised  by  four  or  five  single- 
seaters,  was  obliged  to  dive  (four  bullets  in 
the  machine).    Fifty  minutes." 

And  on  the  20th  the  gun  jammed  at  8:45, 
just  when  the  passenger  in  an  opposing 
plane   had   been   probably   killed;    another 


216    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

jamming  at  8:55  when  a  Boche  attacked 
from  the  rear  at  a  distance  of  ten  meters 
dived  vertically,  the  passenger  again  prob- 
ably killed;  in  the  afternoon  another  jam- 
ming when  a  single-seated  Holland  had  been 
fired  upon  from  a  distance  of  four  meters, 
above  our  lines.  The  same  thing  next  day: 
"Attacked  a  single-seater  over  Barleux, 
fired  one  shot,  the  Boche  dived.  Attacked 
a  single-seater  over  Barleux.     Jammed." 

The  beginning  of  November  was  no  more 
fortunate,  but  nevertheless,  on  the  third,  a 
probable  success  was  reported: 

"November  2nd,  1916.— Hunting.  At- 
tacked at  less  than  ten  meters.  Fired  one 
shot  at  a  two-seater,  jammed.  Then  fired 
ten  shots,  jammed,  while  the  Boche  dived 
over  Bouchavennes.  Over  Peronne  I  at- 
tacked three  other  Bodies  who  dived,  and  a 
Walfisch,  which  defended  itself.  One  hour, 
fifty  minutes,  4,000  meters. 

"November  3rd,  1916. — Hunting.     Sur- 


SIX  FIGHTS  IN  TWO  HOURS       217 

prised  an  Aviatik  at  ten  meters,  killing  the 
observer.  The  Boehe  dived,  losing  strips 
of  canvas.  Went  down  towards  Bertin- 
court,  out  of  control.  Did  not  follow  him 
to  the  ground.    Two  hours,  3,900  meters." 

How  simply  and  frankly  Guynemer  rec- 
ognizes that  an  enemy  gets  the  best  of  him : 

"November  9th,  1916. — On  hunting  cir- 
cuit. Six  fights  with  single  and  two-seaters, 
which  dived.  I  attacked  a  group  consisting 
of  an  Albatros  and  four  single-seaters. 
Hard  fight.  The  Eoche  had  the  best  of  it 
between  4,000  and  2,000.  One  hour,  thirty 
minutes,  4,000  meters. 

"Hunting.  I  attacked  a  Boche  at  Misery 
and  another  who  had  surprised  Lieutenant 
Deullin  at  a  distance  of  fifty  meters.  Two 
hours,  thirty  minutes,  3,000  meters." 

On  the  10th  another  "Doublet,"  making 
the  nineteenth  and  twentieth  victories : 

"November  10th,  1916. — On  hunting  cir- 
cuit.     I     attacked    without    result    three 


218    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Bodies,  two  of  them  single-seaters,  over 
Roye.  At  12:15  brought  down  a  single- 
seater  on  fire  to  the  south  of  Nesles  (firing 
fifteen  shots  at  less  than  nineteen  meters). 
At  12:25  brought  down  an  Albatros  bi- 
plane, 220  horse-power  Mercedes  motor,  in 
the  ravine  of  Morcourt.  Boche  protected  by 
three  single-seaters.  Two  hours,  3,900 
meters." 

This  success  brought  Guynemer  a  fifth 
palm  upon  his  War-Cross.  It  was  the  third 
double  blow  achieved  by  the  Ace  of  Aces. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  days  were 
very  unfavorable  for  aviation,  he  was  about 
to  add  three  more  victories  to  his  list  during 
the  month  of  November.  Before  doing  so 
the  hero  had  to  pass  through  a  trying  period 
of  storm  and  stress. 

"November  12th,  1916. — Hunting  and 
trip  Cachy  to  Pierrefonds.  Severe  storm. 
Flew  over  Noyon,  the  quarters  at  a  height 
of  100  meters,  the  chief  street  at  fifty  meters 


SIX  FIGHTS  IN  TWO  HOURS       219 

and  the  railway  station  at  ten  meters  (I 
could  read  the  name  on  it) .  Fired  at  from 
time  to  time  by  rifles.  Fifty  minutes,  200 
meters." 

His  twenty-first  was  beaten  down  four 

days  later: 

"November  16th,  1916.— Hunting.  Fol- 
lowed a  Boche  flying  high  over  us,  but  could 
not  catch  up  with  him.  At  1:40  brought 
down  a  single-seater  to  the  south  and  be- 
tween Omiecourt  and  Bertain.  Two  hours, 
fifteen  minutes,  3,700  meters." 

On  the  next  day  he  gained  another  vic- 
tory but  would  not  claim  it,  leaving  the 
credit  to  a  comrade  who  caught  the  Boche 
as  he  fell  and  finished  him: 

"November  17th,  1916.— Hunting.  I  fol- 
lowed three  aeroplanes  over  our  lines,  but 
could  not  catch  up  with  them.  They  came 
back,  and  I  brought  down  one.  (Two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  shots  at  twenty  meters),  on 
fire  at  the  north-west  border  of  Liancourt  la 


220    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Fosse.  Attacked  while  falling  by  another 
Spad.  One  hour,  forty-five  minutes,  4,400 
meters." 

On  the  22nd  a  fourth  "Doublet"  gained 
by  Guynemer: 

"November  22nd,  1916. — On  hunting  cir- 
cuit. Beat  down  a  Walfisch  to  the  eastward 
of  Saint  Christ.  Surprised  by  four  Halber- 
stadts;  received  two  bullets  in  my  machine. 
One  strut  broken.  I  attacked  twelve  Hal- 
berstadts,  which  dived,  and  then  a  group  of 
three  others.  One,  shot  at  a  distance  of  five 
meters,  seemed  about  to  fall,  another  dived 
very  sharply.  Two  hours,  thirty-five  min- 
utes, 3,700  meters." 

This  second  one  was  made  official  through 
confirmations  on  the  ground,  and  the  third 
was  probably  downed,  but  was  not  made 
official. 

On  the  next  day  the  fight  was  a  hard  one, 
but  fortune  smiled  upon  our  hero,  who  saw 
the  death  from  very  nearby : 


SIX  FIGHTS  IN  TWO  HOURS       221 

"November  23rd,  1916.— Hunting.  Six 
fights,  jammed  when  ten  meters  away  from 
an  Albatros.  One  bullet  in  the  radiator, 
another  in  the  back  of  the  seat.  Two  hours, 
forty-five  minutes,  5,200  meters." 

The  month  of  December  brought  him  two 
more  victories,  so  that  with  the  close  of  the 
year  1916  Guynemer  counted  twenty-five 
Bodies,  official,  and  at  least  forty  in  reality! 

"December  26th,  1916. — On  hunting  cir- 
cuit. I  attacked  a  Halberstadt  at  twenty- 
five  meters.  Gun  jamming  after  three 
shots.  The  Boche  dived  vertically,  but  lost 
sight  of  him.  One  hour,  ten  minutes,  4,300 
meters. 

"On  hunting  circuit.  Three  fights. 
Gun  jammed  when  five  meters  from  an 
Aviatik.     Two  hours,  3,600  meters." 

The  Ace  had  lost  sight  of  the  Halberstadt 
and  conscientiously  noted  it,  but  the  ob- 
servers on  the  ground  confirmed  the  fact 


222    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

of  the  fall,  and  made  official  this  twenty- 
fourth  enemy  plane  destroyed  by  him. 

"December  27th,  1916.— Hunting.  I  at- 
tacked a  Walflsch  at  ten  meters.  Each  of 
us  fired  about  fifteen  shots.  The  Boche  cut 
two  of  my  cables,  but  crashed  to  earth  south 
of  La  Maisonette.  Two  hours,  4,300  me- 
ters." 

This  was  the  end  of  his  twenty-fifth  vic- 
tim. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

THE    FATAL   YEAR 

The  year  1917  was  to  be  the  fatal  year. 
Guynemer  was  to  fly  less  than  before,  but 
nevertheless,  in  nine  months  he  was  to  gain 
twenty-eight  official  victories,  that  is  three 
more  than  he  had  secured  in  all  the  time 
before. 

Winter  could  not  stop  this  indefatigable 
huntsman.  On  January  7th  he  gained  a 
semi-success : 

"January  7th,  1917. — On  hunting  circuit. 
Nothing  to  report.  One  hour,  forty-five 
minutes,  4,000  meters. 

"On  hunting  circuit.  I  attacked  a  two- 
seated  Albatros  at  close  quarters  near 
Chaulnes.  The  passengers  seemed  to  be 
absolutely  'knocked  out.'    After  going  down 

223 


224    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

out  of  control  the  Boche  straightened  him- 
self out.  One  hour,  ten  minutes,  2,800 
meters." 

On  the  twenty-third  and  twenty-fourth 
two  more  "Doublets"  which  allowed  Guyne- 
mer  to  defeat  his  twenty-sixth  and  twenty- 
seventh  adversaries  on  the  first  day,  his 
twenty-eighth  and  twenty-ninth  on  the  sec- 
ond: 

"January  23rd,  1917. — I  attacked  a  sin- 
gle-seated Albatros  and  made  it  dive.  Beat 
down  a  two-seater  in  flames  near  Maurepas. 
Made  a  two-seater  dive,  out  of  control,  pas- 
senger killed.  Made  another  two-seater 
dive,  out  of  control.  Having  no  more  cart- 
ridges and  seeing  a  Boche  800  meters  high, 
over  Marceleau,  tried  to  make  him  go  down 
by  'persuasion.'  At  a  distance  of  fifteen 
meters  got  a  bullet  through  my  propeller, 
cutting  the  cowl.  One  hour,  thirty  minutes, 
4,300  meters. 


THE  FATAL  YEAR  225 

"On  hunting  circuit.  Nothing  to  report. 
One  hour,  forty-five  minutes,  4,200  meters." 

This  account  of  one  day's  work  is  really 
one  of  the  most  glorious  that  could  well  be 
imagined.  Two  aeroplanes  beaten  down, 
two  driven  out  of  control  and  one  more 
which  the  hero  tried  to  force  down  within 
our  lines  by  'persuasion.'  The  twenty-sixth 
victory  was  obtained  at  10:50  near  the  rail- 
way station  of  Maurepas,  the  twenty- 
seventh,  confirmed  by  observers  on  the 
ground,  at  11 :30  in  the  suburbs  of  Chaulnes. 

"January  24th,  1917. — Hunting.  I 
brought  down  an  enemy  Rumpler  at  11:30 
at  Lignieres,  on  fire.  Beat  down  an  enemy 
aeroplane  over  Goyencourt  at  11:40.  One 
hour,  4,000  meters." 

It  would  have  been  difficult  to  tell  the 
story  of  a  double  victory  more  laconically. 

Here  is  how  he  set  down  in  his  note-book 
the  thirtieth  victory,  won  on  January  26th, 
1917,  his  fifth  triumph  in  four  days: 


226   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"January  26th,  1917.— Hunting.  Made 
an  Albatros  come  down  between  Mouchy 
and  Compiegne  by  intimidation.  The  pilot 
when  made  prisoner,  confirmed  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  aeroplane  at  Goyencourt.  Ac- 
tive fighting  over  Montdidier,  Estrees  and 
Mouchy,  on  Bucquet's  machine.  Gun 
jammed  after  ten  shots.    Two  hours." 

And  now  Guynemer  was  to  go  to  Nancy 
to  operate  there  with  his  famous  "Stork 
Squadron."  He  arrived  there  on  February 
4th.  On  the  5th  he  had  a  break-down  which 
compelled  him  to  land.  On  the  7th  he  sur- 
prised "a  Boche  at  twenty-five  meters  over 
Bezanges,  fired  fifteen  shots,  when  the  Boche 
dived,  losing  his  canvas,"  but  this  was  not 
made  official. 

On  the  8th  at  last  he  achieved  his  thirty- 
first  over  a  superb  Gotha,  the  first  that  had 
been  brought  down  within  our  lines. 

"February  8th,  1917. — On  hunting  cir- 
cuit.    Pursued  a  three-seater  over  our  ter- 


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iSnger  baucroben.  Kabrnaftinuterprofcenben  SttttPenfampf  Ilea  er  iscti  r.ian  per:;  efn. 


Guynemer's  pilot-card,  reproduced  in   "Die   Woche"   of 

Berlin,  after  his  death. 


ttttf  its    AVttti  r 


l.ltl.      <  ;U 


pi  tux    ffcAri    .:  r      1  - 


Visiting  card  of  a  Bbche  brought  down 
by  Guynemer. 


THE  FATAL  YEAR  227 

ritory  and  overtook  it  near  Toul.  Fired  two 
short  volleys  and  then  a  single  shot  at  ten 
meters,  because  my  gun  jammed.  Their 
left  motor  stalled  and  the  Boches  gave  the 
gesture  "Kamerade."  At  this  moment  at- 
tacked and  forced  me  to  leave  on  account  of 
its  fire.  The  Boche  came  down  at  Boucon- 
ville.    Two  hours." 

On  February  10th  he  killed  a  passenger, 
smashed  the  tank  of  the  aeroplane  he  was 
attacking,  which,  howrever,  seemed  to 
straighten  itself  out  at  500  meters  from  the 
ground,  and  was  going  either  to  land  or  to 
crash  down  in  the  woods  of  Ressaincourt, 
making  the  confirmation  impossible. 

Meanwhile  Georges  Guynemer  had  passed 
to  a  captaincy.  He  was  to  adorn  his  grade 
in  his  own  way:  on  March  16th,  for  the  first 
time  officially,  he  was  to  bring  down  three 
aeroplanes  in  one  day,  one  for  each  stripe ! 

"March  16th,  1917. — On  hunting  circuit. 
I  beat  down  a  biplane  Albatros  on  fire  near 


228    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Courbessant.  Attacked  three  single-seaters 
near  Eberviilers.  One  of  them  dived 
sharply,  wounded  by  me.  He  landed  within 
our  lines:  Lieutenant  von  Hausen.  An- 
other took  fire  and  fell,  brought  down  by  a 
Spad  (Lieutenant  Deullin).  One  hour, 
thirty  minutes. 

"Beat  down  an  Albatros  on  fire  within  our 
lines,  near  Regnieville.  Made  a  small  two- 
seater  dive  in  the  same  neighborhood.  One 
hour,  3,600  meters." 

The  hero  would  not  rest  upon  his  laurels, 
for  on  the  next  day  he  achieved  his  thirty- 
fifth  success: 

"March  17th,  1917. — On  hunting  circuit. 
Brought  down  a  two-seater,  on  fire  to  the 
east  of  Attiloncourt.  One  hour,  forty-five 
minutes,  4,000  meters." 

While  flying  four  hours  and  a  quarter  he 
had  brought  down  four  Boches! 

From  March  17th  to  April  8th,  1917, 
Guynemer  went  to  the  rear  to  advise  with  a 


THE  FATAL  YEAR  229 

commission  which  was  devising  a  new  method 
of  arming  the  aeroplane  which  was  to  trans- 
form the  machine  into  the  "magic  Aero- 
plane." We  can  not  of  course  be  more  ex- 
plicit as  to  details,  for  obvious  reasons. 

On  April  13th  he  brought  down  out  of 
control  two  Albatroses  and  on  the  next  day 
secured  his  thirty-sixth  victory: 

"April  14th,  1917.— I  attacked  a  two- 
seater,  gun  jammed,  got  six  bullets  myself. 
Forty-five  minutes,  4,000  meters. 

"Hunting  circuit.  Attacked  a  small  Al- 
batros,  brought  it  down  afire  over  La  Neu- 
ville  (N-W  of  Brienne).  Saw  six  single- 
seaters,  Albatroses,  at  a  great  distance.  One 
hour,  thirty  minutes,  4,000  meters." 

May,  1917,  was  to  be  the  most  glorious 
month  in  all  the  career  of  the  Ace.  It 
yielded  him  seven  victories  achieved  in  twen- 
ty-seven days,  but  wre  must  not  forget  that 
between  the  5th  and  the  24th  Guynemer  was 
away  from  the  front. 


230    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Here  we  give  a  careful  copy  of  his  note- 
book for  all  the  period  of  glory : 

May  1st,  1917. — Buc-Bonne-Maison.  One 
hour,  fifteen  minutes. 

"May  2nd,  1917. — On  hunting  circuit. 
One  fight.  Two  hours,  fifteen  minutes,  5,000 
meters. 

" Hunting.  Four  fights,  one  jamming, 
but  I  brought  down  one  Albatros  of  a  group 
of  four,  on  fire.    Two  hours,  ten  minutes. 

"May  3rd,  1917.— Hunting  circuit. 
Wounded  an  Albatros  seriously  to  the  north 
of  the  Malmaison  front.    One  hour. 

"Hunting  circuit.  Nothing  to  report. 
One  hour,  thirty-five  minutes,  5,000  meters. 

"May  4th,  1917. — Hunting  circuit.  Two 
fights.  I  killed  a  passenger.  I  attacked 
three  two-seated  Albatroses,  one  of  which 
was  brought  down  within  our  lines.  One 
hour,  fifty  minutes,  5,000  meters. 

"From  5th  to  24th  trying  out  my  aero- 
plane. 


THE  FATAL  YEAR  231 

"May  25th,  1917. — Hunting  circuit,  four 
fights.  I  brought  down  a  two-seater  at 
8:30,  which  lost  one  wing  and  crashed  into 
the  trees  some  1,200  meters  N-N-W  of 
Corbeny.  At  8 :31  I  brought  down  another, 
a  two-seater,  on  fire,  near  Jusancourt.  To- 
gether with  Captain  Auger,  forced  a  two- 
seater  to  dive  from  600  meters  to  a  kilo- 
meter within  our  lines.  No  more  cartridges. 
Two  hours. 

"Hunting  circuit.  Brought  down  a 
D.F.W.  on  fire  at  Courlandon.  Forty  min- 
utes. 

"Hunting  circuit.  Brought  down  a  two- 
seater  on  fire  between  Guignicourt  and 
Conde  sur  Suippes.  With  Captain  Auger, 
scattered  a  group  of  six  single-seaters.  Two 
hours. 

"May  26th,  1917.— Hunting.  During  a 
fight  my  motor  balked.  Landed  in  the  fields. 
Arose  again.  Brought  down  a  two-seated 
Albatros  at  10  o'clock  to  the  west  of  Conde 


232   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

sur  Suippes.  Two  hours,  fifteen  minutes, 
4,500  meters. 

"Hunting  circuit.  Four  fights,  one  of 
which  was  against  four  single-seater  Al- 
batroses.  Gun  jammed.  One  of  the  single- 
seaters  carried  a  No.  2  black  gun,  seen  before 
at  Nancy.    One  hour. 

"May  27th,  1917.— Hunting.  While 
alone  I  attacked  six  two-seaters  over  Auber- 
ive  at  4,900  meters.  I  forced  all  six  down 
to  3,600  meters  (three  fights).  Then  at- 
tacked eight  Boches,  forcing  one  down  from 
4,000  to  800  meters,  tearing  off  the  canvas 
from  my  fuselage.  He  was  taken  up  by  a 
Spad  and  crashed  down  in  a  shell-crater. 
Taken  prisoner.  One  hour,  ten  minutes, 
4,900  meters. 

"May  28th,  1917. — On  hunting  circuit. 
Attacked  a  two-seater  over  Bienne  at  8:45. 
Attacked  a  two-seater  which  landed.  Gun 
jammed  at  the  second  shot  fired  at  a  single- 
seater     surprised     at     point-blank     range, 


THE  FATAL  YEAR  233 

painted  white  and  black,  longitudinally,  in 
stripes  about  five  centimeters  wide.  One 
hour,  forty  minutes. 

"On  hunting  circuit.  Two  rights.  Jammed 
gun.    One  hour,  thirty  minutes. 

"May  29th,  1917.— Bonne-Maison-Cor- 
beaulieu.    One  hour,  600  meters. 

"May  30th,  1917.— Returned.  Fight  with 
four  single-seaters.  Gun  jammed.  One 
hour,  fifteen  minutes,  3,300  meters. 

"Bonne-Maison.  Villacoublay.  Paris. 
One  hour,  500  meters. 

"Return.    One  hour,  500  meters." 

Thus  in  the  month  of  May  Guynemer  had 
added  to  his  list  his  thirty-seventh,  thirty- 
eighth,  thirty-ninth,  fortieth,  forty-first,  for- 
ty-second and  forty-third  victims,  of  which 
four  had  been  secured  on  one  day,  and  one 
on  the  next  day,  an  exploit  never  approached 
in  French  aviation.  ( Since  that  time  Lieu- 
tenant Fonck,  on  May  9th,  1918,  brought 
down  six  aeroplanes,  two  of  them  in  ten 


234    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

seconds,  passing  from  his  thirty-sixth  to  his 
forty-second  victory. )  Other  successes  only 
probable  went  to  make  up  this  almost  incon- 
ceivable record. 

The  Ace  of  Aces  was  to  fly  very  little 
during  the  month  of  June,  a  total  of  only 
twenty-one  hours  of  actual  flight.  He  was 
at  the  front  only  from  the  third  to  the  sixth 
and  from  the  fifteenth  to  the  eighteenth,  so 
that  in  these  eight  days  he  accomplished  all 
that  he  could.  On  the  third  he  made  a  two- 
seater  dive  and  killed  the  passenger  of  an 
Albatros,  which  he  forced  to  land.  A  Boche 
attacked  by  him  jumped  into  space.  On 
the  fourth  Guynemer  took  part  in  eight  com- 
bats, in  two  hours  and  thirty  minutes,  in 
various  groups.  He  came  back  with  four 
bullets  in  his  aeroplane,  a  spar  severed,  one 
control  of  his  banking  rudder  cut.  One  of 
his  enemies  seemed  to  be  seriously  wounded. 
And  on  the  fifth  he  secured  another  "Dou- 


THE  FATAL  YEAR  235 

blet,"  his  forty- fourth  and  forty-fifth  vic- 
tims: 

"June  5th,  1917. — Hunting  circuit.  One 
fight  without  results.    One  hour. 

"Hunting  circuit.  Attacked  an  Albatros 
at  3,600  meters  to  East  of  Berry  du  Bac. 
Brought  down  in  our  lines  at  5:15.  At- 
tacked a  D.F.W.  at  4,500  meters,  East  of 
Rheims.  In  the  beginning  several  Spads 
were  in  the  fight.  The  Boche  dived  within 
our  lines.  My  gun  jammed  when  I  was  at 
point-blank  distance  from  him.  At  this  mo- 
ment the  passenger  gave  the  gesture: 
'Kamerad.'  I  gave  him  the  signal  several 
times  to  land  within  our  lines,  but  he  con- 
tinued to  make  off  towards  his  own.     At 

2,200  meters  I  got  my  gun  firing  and  sent 

< 

fifteen  shots  at  him.  The  machine  turned 
over  suddenly,  throwing  out  the  passenger, 
and  fell  in  the  forest  of  Berm  at  5:30.  At- 
tacked three  Boches  without  result.  One 
hour,  thirty  minutes." 


236    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

In  July  four  more  victories,  the  forty- 
seventh,  forty-eighth,  forty-ninth  and  fif- 
tieth, even  though  at  this  time  Guynemer 
was  the  victim  of  the  beginning  of  that  poi- 
soning which  was  to  keep  him  away  from  his 
squadron  from  the  eighth  to  the  twenty- 
second.    He  took  flight  on  only  seven  days ! 

"July  6th,  1917.— Fight  with  five  two- 
seaters.  Brought  down  a  D.F.W.  at  about 
10:55.    Two  hours. 

"Hunting  circuit.  Fight  with  an  Alba- 
tros  painted  gray  with  red  bands.  One  hour 
and  thirty  minutes. 

"July  7th,  1917.— Hunting.  With  Ad- 
jutant Bozon  Verduraz,  attacked  four  sin- 
gle-seated Albatroses  near  Brimont.  Beat 
down  one  on  fire  to  north  of  Villers  Fran- 
queux,  in  our  lines.  Attacked  a  D.F.W. 
which  fell  in  a  tail-spin,  flat  within  our  lines 
at  Moussy.    Two  hours,  ten  minutes. 

"On  hunting  circuit.  Nothing  to  report. 
Two  hours." 


THE  FATAL  YEAR  23Y 

"July  27th,  1917. — On  hunting  circuit  on 
my  aeroplane.  Went  around  with  Lieu- 
tenant Deullin.  Brought  down  on  fire  be- 
tween Longemarck  and  Roulers  a  single- 
seated  Albatros  (probably  of  the  latest 
model,  very  powerful,  220  horse-power 
motor)  out  of  a  patrol  of  six  or  eight  over 
which  it  was  flying  at  some  fifty  meters 
height.  Fired  one  projectile  and  eight  bul- 
lets at  between  five  and  twenty  meters.  One 
hour,  fifty  minutes. 

"July  28th,  1917. — On  hunting  circuit 
(my  aeroplane) .  Brought  down  a  D.F.W. 
on  fire  over  Westrobecke.  Fired  two  pro- 
jectiles (20  and  150  meters  distance)  and 
thirty  shots.  Got  ^ve  bullets  myself:  in  the 
angle-iron  of  the  tail,  in  a  spar,  a  strut,  in 
the  exhaust-pipe  and  the  cowl.  One  hour, 
forty-five  minutes." 

And  here  are  his  last  victories,  reported  in 
August,  1917! 

"August  17th,  1917. — On  hunting  circuit. 


238    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Brought  down  a  two-seated  Albatros  at 
Wlasdos  with  my  machine-gun  at  8:20. 
Brought  down  a  D.F.W.  in  a  tail-spin  at 
9 :25,  with  a  projectile  to  the  South  of  Dix- 
mude.  It  took  fire  at  1,500  meters.  One 
hour,  fifty-five  minutes." 

Under  these  circumstances  the  Ace  had 
used  Ms  special  apparatus. 

"August  20th,  1917. — Brought  down  a 
D.F.W.  on  fire  near  Poperinghe.  Two 
hours,  fifteen  minutes." 

These  are  the  fifty-first,  fifty-second  and 
fifty-third  Boches  secured  by  Captain  Guy- 
nemer. 

Before  his  death  he  added  some  fourteen 
hours  and  twenty  minutes  to  his  flying-time, 
but  had  all  kinds  of  trouble  with  his  motor 
and  his  machine-gun.  His  other  machine 
was  being  repaired. 

On  Tuesday,  September  11th,  the  great 
hero  departed  on  patrol.  He  never  came 
back  again! 


THE  FATAL  YEAR  239 

"Account  of  Second  Lieutenant  Bozon 
Verduraz : 

"Captain  Guynemer  left  at  8:25  on  patrol 
with  Second  Lieutenant  Bozon  Verduraz; 
disappeared  in  the  course  of  a  combat  with 
a  two-seater  over  Poelcapelle  (Belgium) ." 

Thus  closes  the  second  note-book  of  Cap- 
tain Guynemer.  These  notes  constitute  one 
of  the  most  magnificent  chapters  in  the  His- 
tory of  France,  showing  among  other  things, 
that  the  Ace  of  Aces  had  been  in  flight  for 
a  total  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty-five  hours. 


APPENDIX 

THE  ACTION  OF  THE  FRENCH   CONGRESS  AND 

SENATE 

It  has  seemed  indispensable  to  the  com- 
pleteness of  this  work  to  present  an  account 
of  the  historic  meetings  of  the  Chamber  of 
Deputies  and  the  Senate  in  which  the  Par- 
liament voted  the  resolution  under  which  a 
tablet  was  to  be  placed  in  the  Pantheon  to 
perpetuate  the  memory  of  Captain  Guyne- 
mer. 

The  Meeting  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies 
held  October  19th,  1917. 

Adoption  of  a  proposed  Resolution  to  per- 
petuate the  Memory  of  Captain  Guynemer. 

President: — The  Order  of  the  Day  calls 
for  the  discussion  of  the  conclusions  of  the 
Commission  of  the  Army,  upon  the  request 

240 


APPENDIX  241 

for  the  immediate  discussion  of  the  Resolu- 
tion made  by  M.  Lasies  and  several  of  his 
colleagues,  towards  the  perpetuation  of  the 
Memory  of  Captain  Guynemer. 

The  Commission  of  the  Army  has  decided 
upon  immediate  discussion.  Is  there  any 
opposition  to  this  immediate  discussion?  It 
is  so  ordered.  M.  Lasies  has  the  floor  for 
general  discussion. 

M.  Lasies: — Gentlemen:  Captain  Guy- 
nemer belonged  to  Squadron  No.  3  which 
was  known  to  the  French  People  and  to 
their  enemies  as  well  as  the  "  Stork  Squad- 


ron." 


This  squadron  was  organized  in  April, 
1915,  with  a  membership  of  ten  active  pilots. 
To-day  it  counts:  killed  or  disappeared, 
twenty-two ;  wounded,  twenty-three.  It  has 
had  six  squadron  chiefs:  three  killed,  Cap- 
tain Auger,  Second  Lieutenant  Peretti, 
Captain  Guynemer;  three  wounded:  Com- 


242    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

mandant  Brocard,  Captain  Heurtaux,  Lieu- 
tenant Deullin. 

It  has  seemed  to  me  fitting,  that  the  voice 
of  a  friend  whom  Captain  Guynemer  hon- 
ored with  filial  affection,  should  be  added  to 
the  voices  of  his  companions  in  arms  and  his 
chiefs.  I  ask  permission  to  read  two  letters 
to  the  Chamber. 

The  first  is  from  Lieutenant  Raymond, 
the  present  Commander  of  the  Squadron  of 
the  "Storks,"  one  of  the  two  survivors  of  its 
organization  in  1915: 

"My  Captain:  Having  had  the  honor  of 
commanding  Squadron  No.  3  in  the  absence 
of  Captain  Heurtaux,  kept  in  the  hospital 
by  his  latest  wound,  I  wish  to  thank  you  in 
the  name  of  the  few  surviving  'Storks'  for 
what  you  have  done  in  memory  of  Captain 
Guynemer. 

"He  was  our  friend  and  our  master,  our 
pride  and  our  protection.     His  loss  is  the 


APPENDIX  243 

most  cruel  of  all  those,  alas  so  numerous! 
which  have  illumined  our  ranks. 

"You  may  well  believe  that,  nevertheless, 
our  courage  has  not  been  crushed  with  him. 
Our  glorious  revenge  will  be  hard  and  in- 
exorable. 

"The  great  soul  of  Guynemer  will  often 
greet  our  cockades  in  the  battle  of  the  skies 
that  we  may  ever  keep  aflame  the  fire  which 
he  has  left  to  us ! 

"Lieutenant  Raymond, 
"Commandant  of  Squadron  No.  3." 

At  the  same  time  I  received  a  letter  from 
his  chief,  Commandant  Brocard,  who  was  the 
leader  of  that  hunting-group : 

"My  dear  Deputy  and  Comrade: — 

"I  am  greatly  moved  by  the  thought  which 
you  have  conceived  of  consecrating  the  glory 
of  Captain  Guynemer  by  demanding  that 
the  Country  accord  to  him  the  honors  of  the 
Pantheon. 


2U   GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

"All  of  us  have  dreamed  about  this,  struck 
by  the  idea  that  its  cupola  alone  spread 
widely  enough  to  shelter  such  wings. 

"The  poor  boy  fell  with  his  face  to  the 
enemy,  struck  by  a  bullet  in  the  head,  at  the 
height  of  his  triumph. 

"He  had  sworn  to  me  a  few  days  before 
that  the  Germans  would  never  get  him  alive. 

"His  heroic  fall  is  no  more  glorious  in- 
deed than  the  death  of  the  artillerist  fallen 
over  his  cannon,  of  the  infantryman  killed 
in  the  charge,  or  that  more  lugubrious  death 
of  the  soldier  engulfed  in  the  swamp. 

"But  for  more  than  two  years  every  one 
saw  him  cleaving  the  skies,  whether  illum- 
ined by  the  bright  sun,  or  over-cast  by  som- 
ber tempests,  bearing  upon  his  poor  wings 
a  part  of  their  dreams,  of  their  faith  in  suc- 
cess and  all  the  confidence  and  hope  of  their 
hearts. 

"It  was  for  them,  for  the  sappers,  the  ar- 
tillerists, the  infantrymen,  that  he  fought 


APPENDIX  245 

with  all  the  rancor  of  his  hatred,  all  the 
audacity  of  his  youth,  all  the  joy  of  his 
triumphs. 

"Certain  that  the  struggle  would  be  fatal 
to  him,  but  sure  that  on  board  his  war-bird 
he  would  save  thousands  of  lives,  seeing  com- 
batants like  himself  born  in  his  own  image, 
he  remained  faithful  to  his  destiny,  faithful 
in  the  sacrifices  which  he  made  long  before 
and  which  he  saw  coming  calmly. 

"A  modest  soldier,  but  conscious  of  the 
greatness  of  his  part,  he  had  the  fine  qual- 
ities of  the  soil  which  he  so  well  defended, 
the  tenacity,  the  perseverance  in  effort,  the 
unconsciousness  of  danger,  to  which  he  added 
the  frankest  and  most  generous  of  hearts. 

"His  short  life  knew  neither  regrets,  suf- 
ferings nor  disillusions. 

"Coming  from  the  lyceum  where  he  was 
learning  the  history  of  France,  he  left  it 
only  to  write  one  more  page  in  it ;  he  went 
to  the  war,  his  willing  eyes  fixed  upon  his 


246    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

aim,  urged  on  by  I  know  not  what  mys- 
terious force,  which  I  respected,  as  we  re- 
spect the  dead  or  genius. 

"Guynemer  was  merely  a  powerful  idea 
in  a  very  frail  body,  and  I  lived  near  him 
with  the  secret  sorrow  of  knowing  that  some 
day  the  idea  would  slay  its  container. 

"Sir  Deputy,  ask  that  the  Pantheon  be 
his  last  home,  where  they  have  already  placed 
mothers  and  children. 

"His  protecting  wings  will  not  be  out  of 
place  there,  and  beneath  the  dome  where 
those  who  have  given  us  our  patrimony 
sleep,  they  will  be  a  symbol  of  those  who 
have  guarded  it  for  us. 

"Commandant  Brocard." 

Gentlemen:  For  three  years,  our  army, 
faithfully  supported  by  our  allies,  has  writ- 
ten pages  which  will  stand  as  the  admiration 
and  astonishment  of  history. 

To  our  soldiers  of  all  ranks,  of  all  arms, 
and  at  this  moment  my  mind  flies  especially 


APPENDIX  247 

to  those  hidden  heroes  of  the  common  trench 
whose  poor  remains  scattered  by  shells  have 
neither  tomb  nor  cross  to  which  those  who 
weep  may  come  and  mourn ;  to  all,  infantry, 
artillery,  cavalry,  aviators  and  engineers 
there  is  but  one  "Name"  which  can  symbol- 
ize the  grandeur  of  their  sacrifice. 

We  select  the  name  of  this  child  who,  in 
unforgettable  prowess  flew  above  our  bat- 
tle-front, that  land  of  France  all  soaked  in 
blood  and  glory,  of  which  the  least  drop 
would  suffice  to  efface  the  pitiable  individual 
failings  which  we  have  to  deplore. 

The  homage  which  we  render  to  Guyne- 
mer  is  homage  rendered  to  the  most  heroic 
of  armies  and  also  to  the  most  stoical  of 
Nations  by  a  Parliament  which,  I  have  the 
courage  to  state,  has,  for  three  years,  made 
every  effort  to  prove  itself  worthy  of  both. 

Gentlemen,  let  us  stop  an  instant  and  by 
a  unanimous  vote,  answer  that  great  voice 
of  the  dead,  from   the   tombs    and  the  air, 


MS    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

which  we  hear  always,  by  a  proud  Hallelu- 
jah of  hope  and  victory. 

President: — The  reporter  for  the  Com- 
mission has  the  floor. 

M.  Henry  Pate,  the  Reporter: — Gentle- 
men, the  Commission  of  the  Army  asks  you 
to  adopt  the  proposition  of  our  honorable 
colleague,  M.  Lasies,  a  proposition  to  which 
it  has  given  unanimous  consent. 

In  the  person  of  Captain  Guynemer, 
whose  career  M.  Lasies  has  presented  with 
so  much  power,  in  the  person,  I  may  say  of 
the  "Ace  of  Aces,"  that  most  beloved  and 
popular  soldier,  your  Army-Commission, 
like  yourselves,  wishes  to  glorify  all  of  the 
warriors  who  for  more  than  three  years  have 
fought  with  such  heroism  and  abnegation, 
and  all  of  the  obscure  heroes  who  have  fallen 
for  their  country. 

It  is  proper  to  combine  for  this  homage  all 
the  workers  at  the  rear,  who  have  labored 
zealously  in  all  departments  to  insure  the 


APPENDIX  249 

advance  of  the  armies,  those  workmen  in  the 
factories,  who  ceaselessly  forge  the  arms  of 
victory;  in  a  word,  all  the  Nation,  gentle- 
men, which  has  set  a  fine  example  of  pa- 
tience, calmness  and  courage,  virtues  more 
needed  than  ever  before  in  these  troublous 
times  through  which  we  are  passing. 

The  proposition  which  we  have  the  honor 
of  submitting  to  you  is  one  of  those  which 
requires  no  lengthy  discussion:  we  ask  that 
it  be  adopted  by  acclamation. 

I  have  stated  in  my  report  all  that  was 
necessary;  I  have  told  of  all  the  glory  and 
all  the  courage  manifested  by  that  youth, 
that  hero  of  whom  we  fashion  a  symbol  to- 
day. The  name  of  Guynemer  will  be  in  its 
proper  place  in  the  Pantheon,  and  in  the 
"Gold  Book"  which  we  shall  institute  if  we 
adopt  the  suggestion  of  our  colleague,  Paul 
Escudier,  his  name  will  be  the  first  on  the 
list,  alas  too  long,  of  all  the  citizen-soldiers 


250    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

who  have  died  to  save  their  country  and  the 
liberties  of  the  world. 

President: — The  Under-Secretary  of 
State  has  the  floor. 

M.  Jacques  Louis  Dumesnil,  Under-Sec- 
retary of  State  for  Military  and  Maritime 
Aeronautics  —  Gentlemen :  The  Govern- 
ment is  in  full  accord  with  the  proposition 
originated  by  our  colleague,  M.  Lasies,  and 
which  our  colleague,  M.  Pate,  has  just  re- 
ported out  of  the  Commission  of  the  Army. 

Very  soon  measures  will  be  taken  for  en- 
graving the  name  of  Captain  Guynemer  on 
the  glorious  tablets  of  the  Pantheon. 

But  already  that  heroic  youth  who  is 
mourned  by  the  Nation  and  its  army,  has 
gone  straight  to  Immortality,  with  the 
greatest  of  those  who,  during  the  ages,  "have 
died  devoted  deaths  for  the  Country." 

The  legend  of  his  life  is  already  woven 
into  the  unbreakable  web  of  the  History  of 
France. 


APPENDIX  251 

To-morrow,  by  our  homage,  we  shall 
honor  his  memory  beneath  the  dome  of  the 
National  Temple. 

Meanwhile  he  lies  beneath  the  vault  of 
the  heaven  which  he  conquered,  in  that  mur- 
dered and  sanctified  earth,  of  the  trench-line, 
amid  so  many  of  his  brethren,  soldiers  of  all 
arms. 

We  all  join  in  the  same  homage:  in  which 
the  shining  glory  symbolizes  the  aspirations 
and  enthusiasms  of  the  National  Army,  and 
his  comrades  in  hunting,  of  the  army  corps, 
of  bombarding,  and  all  those  also,  the  hidden 
heroes,  sometimes  even  anonymous,  who  each 
day  pay  the  supreme  sacrifice  for  the  re- 
covery of  the  soil  of  their  native  land,  die  to 
secure  the  peace  and  liberty  of  future  gen- 
erations, and  who,  for  three  years,  have  be- 
queathed their  grief,  and  glory  to  France, 
enriching  it  with  the  most  magnificent  treas- 
ure of  honor  ever  possessed  by  any  land. 

Guynemer  has  fallen;  but  his  wings  are 


252    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

not  broken,  and  already  through  the  same 
paths  in  the  skies,  they  are  leading  to  victory 
all  that  shining  Pleiad  of  those  who  would 
avenge  their  youthful  leader  and  comrade. 

The  acknowledgment  of  all  the  country 
will  perpetuate  the  name  of  Guynemer,  and 
raise  his  example  to  lofty  heights. 

May  it  be  permitted  me,  to-day,  in  bring- 
ing him  the  highest  homage  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  the  Republic,  simply  to  read  the  two 
last  citations  given  this  hero.  They  sum  up 
all  the  noble  life  of  this  Twenty-three-year- 
old  Captain,  aureoled  by  youth  and  honor. 

Here  they  are,  Gentlemen.  One  is  the 
citation  of  June,  1917,  when  he  was  made 
an  Officer  of  the  Legion  of  Honor : 

"An  elite  officer,  a  fighting  pilot  as  skill- 
ful as  audacious.  He  has  rendered  glowing 
service  to  the  Country,  both  by  the  number 
of  his  victories  and  the  daily  example  which 
he  has  set  of  burning  ardor  and  even  greater 
mastery  increasing  from  day  to  day.     Un- 


APPENDIX  253 

conscious  of  danger,  on  account  of  his  sure- 
ness  of  method  and  precision  of  manoeuvers 
he  has  become  the  most  redoubtable  of  all 
to  the  enemy.  On  May  25th,  1917,  he  ac- 
complished one  of  his  most  brilliant  exploits, 
beating  down  two  enemy  aeroplanes  in  one 
minute,  and  gaining  two  more  victories  on 
the  same  day.  By  all  of  his  exploits  he  has 
contributed  towards  exalting  the  courage 
and  enthusiasm  of  those  who,  from  the 
trenches,  were  the  witnesses  of  his  triumphs. 
He  has  brought  down  forty-five  aeroplanes, 
received  twenty  citations  and  been  wounded 
twice." 

And  now  here  is  that  very  beautiful  Cita- 
tion by  which  the  chief  of  the  army  in  whose 
ranks  he  fought,  only  a  few  days  ago,  has 
summed  up,  I  may  say,  all  the  career  of  this 
soldier : 

General  Order  of  October  16th,  1917. 
"The    General    commanding    the    First 
Army  cites  in  the  order  of  the  army,  Cap- 


254    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

tain  Guynemer,  commandant  of  Squadron 
No.  3. 

"Died  on  the  field  of  honor,  September 
11th,  1917.  A  hero  of  legendary  power  fell 
under  the  open  heavens  of  glory,  after  three 
years  of  hard  fighting.  He  will  long  remain 
the  purest  symbol  of  the  race. 

"Of  indomitable  tenacity,  boundless  en- 
ergy, sublime  courage.  Animated  by  a  mov- 
ing faith  in  victory,  he  has  bequeathed  to  the 
French  soldier  an  imperishable  legacy  of  rec- 
ollections which  will  raise  high  the  spirit  of 
sacrifice  and  bring  forth  the  noblest  emula- 
tion." 

Gentlemen,  I  have  ordered  that,  to-mor- 
row, Saturday,  October  20th,  in  all  the  avia- 
tion-schools of  France,  to  the  four  corners 
of  our  territory,  homage  is  to  be  rendered  to 
Captain  Guynemer,  at  the  same  hour,  before 
the  troops,  before  those  who  are  now  pre- 
paring to  follow  in  his  footsteps.  I  believe 
that  thus  we  shall  honor  most  highly  the 


APPENDIX  255 

memory  of  him  whom  we  all  mourn,  and  that 
no  lesson  could  be  grander. 

I  wish  to  state  to  the  Chamber  that,  in 
order  to  arm  our  aerial  fleet  to  the  maximum 
no  effort  will  be  relaxed,  no  negligence  will 
be  tolerated,  and  all  routine  will  be  broken. 

And  this  will  be  another  way  of  render- 
ing homage  to  the  memory  of  Captain  Guy- 
nemer. 

More  and  more  every  day  the  most  power- 
ful methods  are  being  employed  so  that  our 
aviation  may  dominate  the  enemy  and  have 
absolute  mastery  of  the  air,  which  I  pro- 
foundly believe  will  at  the  decisive  time  be 
an  essential  condition  of  victory. 

President: — Does  any  one  else  wish  the 
floor  for  general  discussion?  I  ask  the 
Chamber  if  it  wishes  to  go  from  discussion  to 
specific  action? 

(Being  decided  so  to  do.) 

President : — Specific  Action.  The  Cham- 
ber asks  the  Government  to  have  placed  in 


256    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

the  Pantheon  an  inscription  intended  to  per- 
petuate the  memory  of  Captain  Guynemer, 
as  a  symbol  of  the  aspirations  and  enthu- 
siasm of  the  Army  of  the  Nation." 

Does  any  one  wish  the  floor?  I  shall  put 
the  question. 

(The  Deputies  all  rise.) 

The  resolution  is  adopted  unanimously. 

Record  of  the  Meeting  of  the  Senate,  Oc- 
tober 25th,  1917. 

Adoption  of  a  proposed  Resolution  in 
Honor  of  Captain  Guynemer. 

President : — I  have  received  from  Messrs. 
Gaston,  Menier,  Clemenceau,  and  others  a 
proposition  of  a  Resolution  in  the  following 
terms : 

"The  Senate :  Joining  in  the  homage  ren- 
dered by  the  Government  and  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies  to  glorify  the  memory  of  Cap- 
tain Guynemer,  the  hero  of  the  air,  by  an  in- 
scription in  the  Pantheon. 

"In  him  salutes  the  spirit  of  sacrifice,  ab- 


APPENDIX  257 

negation  and  energy  of  all  the  combatants  in 
the  armies  of  the  Republic,  who  for  three 
years  have  fallen  for  their  native  Land." 

M.  Gaston  Menier  asks  for  immediate  ac- 
tion on  his  proposition  and  its  return  to  the 
Army  Commission.  According  to  the  rule, 
I  shall  present  this  to  the  Senate,  at  the  close 
of  the  meeting.    ( Voices — Now,  Now. ) 

M.  Paul  Strauss: — Such  a  proposition 
should  be  considered  at  once. 

Several  Senators: — We  request  imme- 
diate action ! 

President: — If  there  is  no  objection,  we 
shall  take  it  up  immediately  (Unanimous) . 

President: — I  shall  ask  for  a  vote.  The 
proposition  is  sent  to  the  Army  Commis- 
sion. 

M.  Gaston  Menier: — The  Army  Commis- 
sion having  examined  the  proposed  resolu- 
tion, and  has  instructed  me  to  present  it  in 
its  name. 

Gentlemen:    On  October  19th,  1917,  tfee 


258    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

Chamber  of  Deputies  voted  unanimously 
and  by  acclamation  the  proposal  of  the  fol- 
lowing resolution,  which  had  been  presented 
by  M.  Lasies  and  his  colleagues : 

"The  Chamber  asks  the  Government  to 
have  placed  in  the  Pantheon  an  inscription 
intended  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  Cap- 
tain Guynemer,  as  a  symbol  of  the  aspira- 
tions and  enthusiasm  of  the  Army  of  the  Na- 
tion." 

The  Government,  through  Under  Secre- 
tary of  State  J.  L.  Dumesnil,  offers  its 
warmest  support  of  the  project  and  ap- 
proves it,  the  resolution  of  the  Senate  read- 
ing as  follows : 

"The  Senate:  Joining  in  the  homage  ren- 
dered by  the  Government  and  the  Chamber 
of  Deputies  to  glorify  the  memory  of  Cap- 
tain Guynemer,  the  hero  of  the  air,  by  an 
inscription  in  the  Pantheon  to  his  memory, 

&c." 

"Who  is  there  among  us,"  said  M.  Menier, 


APPENDIX  259 

"who  has  not  admired  more  and  more  every 
day,  the  prowess  of  that  young  and  glorious 
aviator,  Georges  Guynemer,  whose  renown 
spread  so  quickly  all  over  the  world?  Who 
of  us,  while  reading  the  news  of  the  aviators 
has  not  trembled  at  times  when  considering 
his  tremendous  triumphs? 

"Who,  then,  was  this  Guynemer,  whose 
reputation  was  made  so  glorious  and  so 
quickly?  Guynemer  was  a  child  of  France, 
frail  and  delicate,  who  recovering  twice  from 
severe  attacks  upon  his  constitution,  tried  in 
vain  to  be  accepted  when  he  came  from  col- 
lege. He  was  nineteen  years  old.  After 
many  attempts  he  at  last  succeeded  in  gain- 
ing admittance  as  a  mechanic-apprentice  in 
an  aviation-school.  He  was  already  dream- 
ing of  great  things,  and  if  he  dreamed  of 
aviation  it  was  because  he  knew  that  in  this 
new  'Arm'  he  would  be  able  to  utilize  all 
that  great  energy  of  which  he  felt  himself 
possessed.    He  foresaw  its  importance  and 


260    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

development.     He    soon   became   the    bril- 
liant, invincible  champion. 

"He  began  flying  in  April,  1915,  and  at 
once  manifested  his  wonderful  will-power. 
Great  indeed  was  his  joy  when  he  gained 
possession  of  one  of  those  speedy  Nieuports 
with  which  he  was  to  establish  his  mastery 
of  hunting  in  the  air.  His  first  victory  took 
place  July  19th,  1915;  he  fought  at  Verdun 
with  all  his  might  and  from  victory  upon  vic- 
tory his  name  flew  to  all  lips.  But  he  was 
wounded.  Scarce  was  he  better  before  he 
was  fighting  again.  He  became  Second 
Lieutenant,  and  without  respite,  he  brought 
new  glory  daily  to  the  famous  'Stork 
Squadron,'  the  celebrated  No.  3.  On  one 
day  he  brought  down  four  aeroplanes,  but 
with  all  his  triumphs  he  was  still  charmingly 
modest.  His  rewards  came  rapidly.  His 
palms  were  no  longer  counted.  He  was 
named  as  a  Chevalier,  then  as  an  officer  of 


APPENDIX  261 

the  Legion  of  Honor.  And  then,  see  him 
Captain  at  twenty-two! 

"This  timid  young  man,  but  so  resolute, 
expressed  daily  the  cold  resolve  to  win;  his 
youthful  face  became  an  aureole  which  the 
crowd  admired  and  his  example  inspired  the 
numerous  experts  who  all  loved  him  and 
were  never  jealous  of  his  triumphs. 

"He  had  just  achieved  his  fifty-third  vic- 
tory and,  a  few  days  before  he  returned  to 
the  front,  the  signer  of  this  report  had  the 
honor  to  talk  with  him  in  the  midst  of  his 
friends.  We  said  to  him:  'Stop  a  moment, 
you  must  not  tempt  fate  for  ever,  we  need 
you  for  our  victory.'  But  he  answered  us, 
resolutely : 

"  'My  place  is  at  the  front,  always  in 
front.  I  have  been  brought  down  seven 
times,  and  I  have  always  been  able  to  escape ; 
I  am  going  back  there!' 

"He  did  as  he  had  said  and  only  a  few 
days  later  we  heard  with  anguish  that  he  had 


262    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

disappeared  in  the  course  of  a  combat  be- 
yond our  lines.  We  hoped,  nevertheless,  not- 
withstanding the  cruel  impression  left  by 
that  awful  word,  'disappeared,'  which  too 
many  of  us  have  learned  to  understand. 

"Alas,  that  last  engagement  was  to  be 
fatal,  for  an  implacable  bullet  struck  him  in 
the  head  when  he  was  700  meters  in  the 
air,  blotting  him  out  forever ! 

"You  have  seen  in  the  report  from  the 
other  Assembly  the  letters  from  his  com- 
rades and  his  chiefs,  his  citations.  Poor,  but 
glorious  son  of  France!  He  has  deserved 
much  from  his  Country.  If  his  body  has 
fallen,  shrouded  in  his  aeroplane,  upon  that 
soil  of  Flanders,  already  besprinkled  with  so 
much  blood,  his  pure  spirit  has  remained  in 
the  highest  heights  of  the  blue  heavens,  and 
his  fine  example,  ardently  followed  by  his 
comrades,  proves  that  he  remains  forever 
alive  in  the  heart  of  each  one  of  them. 

"But,  Gentlemen,  if  we  thus  celebrate  the 


APPENDIX  263 

glory  of  Guynemer,  it  is  because  we  take  him 
as  the  symbol  of  our  race,  with  his  beautiful 
bravery,  his  resolute  courage  and  his  valiant 
energy. 

"Our  homage  personifies  in  his  name  the 
prodigies  accomplished  by  all  his  competi- 
tors and  by  all  the  combatants,  young  or 
old,  by  all  those  heroes,  too  often  remaining 
unknown  and  who,  like  he,  simply  did  their 
duty  and  fell  for  France.  To  all  of  them 
our  acknowledgments  go  forth. 

"But  acknowledgments  are  not  enough. 
It  is  necessary  that  the  example  of  valiant 
Guynemer  serve  us  by  bringing  home  to  us 
absolutely  the  conviction  of  the  necessity  for 
victory  in  the  air  without  which  we  can  not 
secure  victory  upon  the  ground. 

"We  must  be  inspired  by  the  prodigies 
which  he  performed  to  judge  of  the  impor- 
tance which  should  be  attached  to  aviation  in 
all  its  forms.  The  example  of  Guynemer 
will  beget  pilots ;  it  is  for  us  to  raise  up  the 


264    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

machines  which  will  give  them  power  and 
the  mastery.  For  this  reason  we  may  ap- 
preciate all  of  the  acknowledgments  which 
we  owe  to  Captain  Guynemer,  whose  ex- 
ample has  served  us  splendidly  towards  has- 
tening the  hour  of  victory. 

"Gentlemen,  your  Army  Commission  pro- 
poses the  unanimous  adoption  of  the  reso- 
lution which  it  has  offered. 

"Gentlemen,  I  have  said  to  you  that  Guy- 
nemer was  a  symbol  and  an  example.  He  is 
really  a  symbol,  because  he  incarnated  all 
of  the  qualities  of  our  race,  audacity,  intre- 
pidity, tenacity,  perseverance  in  effort  and 
throughout  all  confidence  and  hope.  He  was 
an  example,  because  the  consciousness  of 
having  done  his  duty,  nobly,  without  osten- 
tation, or  pomp,  with  an  energy  which  never 
relaxed,  allows  us  to  see  that  he  offered  to 
his  Country  the  sacrifice  of  his  life. 

"Permit  me  to  add,  in  closing,  that  in  the 
midst  of  the  disappearance  of  so  many  of 


APPENDIX  265 

our  youths,  of  so  many  deeds  of  courage, 
known  and  unknown,  done  by  our  incom- 
parable Poilus  who  have  done  their  duty  so 
grandly  and  simply,  the  face  of  Captain 
Guynemer  planes  in  a  heaven  of  apotheosis. 
We  see  him  in  that  glowing  ride,  dominat- 
ing space,  showing  with  his  speedy,  mobile 
aeroplane,  the  direction  of  the  whirlwinds  of 
battle  and  the  combats  behind  which  little  by 
little  the  sun  of  victory  rises,  which  he  never 
was  to  see,  but  for  which  he  had  made  the 
way. 

"His  glory  is  pure  and  truly  French;  as 
we  write  his  name  upon  the  cupola  of  the 
Pantheon,  we  are  writing  one  more  brilliant 
page  in  the  glory  and  grandeur  of  our 
France." 

M.  J.  L.  Dumesnil,  Under-Secretary  of 
State  for  Aviation: — Gentlemen:  In  ask- 
ing the  Government  to  inscribe  the  name  of 
Captain  Guynemer  on  the  vault  of  the  Pan- 


266    GUYNEMER,  THE  ACE  OF  ACES 

theon,  the  Senate  is  certainly  the  interpreter 
of  unanimous  France. 

Dead  in  the  broad  heaven  of  glory,  and 
this  is  his  last  citation: 

"Brother  of  Assas,  of  Marceau,  of  Hoche, 
he  has  bequeathed  his  glory  to  his  country; 
he  has  also  bequeathed  to  it  a  great  hope, 
and  his  native  land,  through  the  generations 
still  to  be,  will  immortalize  the  recollection 
of  one  of  its  finest  soldiers  of  victory." 

The  resolution  was  passed  unanimously, 
amid  wild  applause.  Finally  the  Minister 
of  Public  Instruction  and  the  Fine  Arts,  so 
as  to  connect  the  youth  of  France  with  the 
national  homage  rendered  to  the  hero  and 
his  companions  in  arms,  addressed  an  order 
to  all  scholastic  establishments  requiring  all 
principals,  directors  and  heads  of  colleges 
of  every  kind,  to  read  to  all  of  the  pupils, 
while  standing  at  attention,  the  resolution  of 
the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  which  decided  that 


APPENDIX  267 

the  name  of  Captain  Guynemer  was  to  be 
inscribed  upon  the  walls  of  the  Pantheon. 

In  every  corps  of  the  French  Army  the 
resolution  was  also  read. 


FINIS 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

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